Dream Team
by weirdbard
Summary: So far Ron, Shego and Kim's relationship has gone like a dream.  What happens when the dream meets a nightmare?
1. Chapter 1

This is the third story in my series (I have a series of KP stories. Who would have thunk it when I started on my very first one?) The first story in the series is Frequency of Evil; the second is Trio and now this one, Dream Team. While not strictly necessary to read the other stories it will help to fill in the background on how things have gotten to this point.

Now on to the disclaimers:

I do not own the characters from the television series Kim Possible, nor do I own any of the characters from the movie series Nightmare on Elm Street. I am merely borrowing them for the purpose of this story. No profit is being made by me and I only do this for the pleasure of the writing (and getting of good reviews). As in all my attempts at fan fiction writing I strive to treat the characters with respect and dignity their original creators created them with. (That and who in their right mind wants to pi... um, annoy Shego or Freddy Krueger?)

Shego sat in the cargo area of a C-130 Hercules turboprop airplane as it slowly droned across the skies. Sitting across from her on folded down seats from the walls of the plane were Ron Stoppable and Kim Possible.

Currently they were on a mission, the first with Shego as an 'official' member of Team Possible. Some rinky dink police department was being faced with a series of bizarre and brutal murders of teenagers and they had called in Kim Possible and her team to try and solve it for them. Kim of course had been more than eager to assist while Shego was just hoping it didn't get too boring or take too long, she wanted to get back to the pleasurable pursuit of 'corrupting' the two teens.

Ron was the one that seemed most upset by the mission. He had practically freaked out when Wade had called them and he seemed still worried about it. He kept repeating to himself over and over, "Miles of bad road."

"_Who would believe that in a very short time I would decide to give being a good guy another chance? And certainly no one would have ever thought I would end up as Ron and Kim's lover either."_ Shego mused silently to herself as she continued to watch her partners.

Kim was sitting still with her eyes closed. Shego couldn't decide if the red haired heroine was meditating or just sleeping. Ron however was so tense Shego mused that she could hear him twang with the wind that was coming through the drafty cargo section of the plane. It was obvious that if Ron had been more confident with the pilot's flying he would be up wildly pacing, as it was he sat still but fidgeted like crazy.

"What's wrong Ron?" Shego asked leaning towards him.

Ron merely shrugged and mumbled "nothing" but continued to twitch and fidget.

Shego frowned at being blown off by Ron and stared at him.

"_Why do I feel so much for this 'kid'?"_ She asked herself silently. _"While my romantic life has never been what anyone could consider 'full' I've had my share of lovers. Both male and female so why do Ron and Kim gets so far under my skin?_

Shego began to remember their recent marathon session of love making. Kim had been slightly timid with her advances at first but that was to be expected. She was new to the ways of physical love. She quickly grew more adventurous as things progressed till Kim turned into a wild animal. This too Shego had expected. Kim may play the goody goody two-shoes but Shego always knew there was a raging volcano of passion under her surface just waiting for something to cause it to erupt.

The surprise had been Ron himself. He was no more experienced than Kim and at first was just as timid as Kim had been; this too changed as the night had progressed. Shego expected all of it and had made allowances for it by starting slow and building in passion and creativity. What had been shocking to the lightly green skinned woman was Ron's endurance. After even the most virile of men would have collapsed in exhaustion, Ron kept going. Shego would have bet money that Ron would be the first to collapse, quickly followed by Kim but in reality it had been Kim and then Shego who gave into exhaustion long before Ron.

Shego studied the surprising young blond man across from her. Sure she had just recently referred to him in her mind as a kid but she had to face the fact that anyone who could keep up not just with her but another healthy horny young woman was no mere boy any longer.

She found his nervousness and fidgeting to bother her but it wasn't from simple annoyance. What bothered her was that something was obviously eating at him and he wasn't sharing his thoughts with her. Ron and Kim had a bond from years and years of friendship and Shego found herself envying and jealous of that bond. She wanted to know Ron, not just physically but emotionally.

"Come on Ron. It is so obvious that something is worrying you. Why don't you just tell me?" Shego asked again.

Ron shook his head. "I'm fine. Yep, no worries or fears at all. Yep that is me." Ron fairly babbled.

"_I know how to deal with this."_ Shego thought to herself. _"This course of action always worked when I wanted Drakken to talk and he was reluctant."_

Shego unbelted herself from the folding seat she was in and getting up stretched.

"Well it's been fun but I guess I'll be going now." Shego stated and started to move towards the door to the plane.

Whenever Drakken clammed up and refused to talk, all Shego had to do was act like she was going to leave him and the blue skinned mad scientist would fall all over himself in rushing to talk to her to keep her with him.

Shego kept one eye on Ron to see his reaction and was surprised to see Ron look shocked, and then for a split second she caught an expression of sheer heart break but he wiped it off and then nodded his head. She watched as he undid his own seat belt and rose to his feet.

Walking over he pulled a parachute from a locker and crossed over to her.

"I'll help you get your chute on." He said quietly.

"What!" Shego almost shouted.

"Well your powers don't include flight do they?" Ron asked her in confusion. "We are still in the air and if you plan on leaving me and Kim then you'll need a parachute. You aren't planning on going back to Drakken at least, are you?"

Shego turned towards him, her hands igniting green with plasma fire just underneath Ron's chin. "I thought you said you loved me? And you are just going to dump me off in mid-air with a parachute!"

"You were the one that said you were ready to leave." Ron pointed out. Looking down at her hands he then added. "Do you realize that in less than a minute you have threatened me and Kim twice now?"

"Huh? What?" Shego answered in confusion.

"Well to be proper I suppose you threatened me and Kim once and this time just me." Ron stated.

Shego glanced down at her hands and immediately doused the flames. She hadn't even realized they had flared into power from her sudden anger. "I would never… I mean I wasn't going to use my plasma… I don't want to leave you or Kim, Ron!" She finally managed to say in frustration.

Ron dropped the parachute in his hands to the floor and reached up to scratch his head. Shego could see confusion and the beginnings of tears in his eyes. "Then why did you say were going to leave us?"

"I just said that to get you to open up and talk to me. It always worked with Dr. D."

Shego thought Ron looked hurt before, he looked like a puppy that had been viciously kicked now.

"Shego, I'm not Drakken." Is all he said.

Shego felt the words as if Ron had punched her with them. "Ronnie I know. I didn't mean to imply that you are like Drakken… Um, look I'm sorry? It is just the way I am, threats and promises of violence, you know? I promise you I would never act on them." Shego tried to explain.

Kim without opening her eyes suddenly spoke drawing both Ron and Shego's attention to her.

"You are going to have to learn Shego that Ron doesn't react well to threats. He tends to take everything way too serious for that."

Kim then opened her eyes to look over at Ron and Shego. Her eyes became very doe like and sticking out her lower lip she began to quiver it ever so slightly. "Ron… What were you thinking about?" She asked in a syrupy sweet voice.

"Awww Kim! No fair teaching Shego the puppy dog pout!" Ron whined, more like his normal self.

Shego blinked. This was the way Kim got Ron to open up? It was a lot easier with Drakken. Just flame up your hands and threaten to take his head off if he didn't start talking and if he still refused to talk? Just act as if you were going to walk out on him. Still Shego never wanted to re-experience the feeling as if her soul had dropped out of her like it did a moment ago when Ron offered to help her into a chute to leave.

Ron turned his back on Kim to keep from having to face the 'puppy dog pout' and was now looking back at Shego.

Shego with a shrug tried her best to match Kim's face and pushed out her lip and said. "Ronnie? Tell me what you were worrying about."

While Shego's 'puppy dog pout' looked more like an angry bull dog than Kim's cute and cuddly puppy, it was still effective.

"Awww man!" Ron whined down at his pocket where Rufus had poked his head out to see what was going on. "Now they are both going to be doing this to me!"

If he was looking for sympathy he got none from the naked mole rat who just snickered at him before taking a look over at Shego. "Ack! Puppy dog pout!" Rufus squeaked and dove back into the pocket once again.

Ron walked back over to his seat next to Kim and plopped down. Shego followed along, her 'puppy dog pout' still on and folded down a seat and sat beside him. Ron acutely aware that Kim still was doing the pout as well stared forward and asked. "What was the question again?"

Kim's playful pout faded away to a serious look. Ron was still trying to avoid the issue and that meant it was serious.

"Ron? What were you worrying about?" She asked again.

"Me? Worrying? Naw… I wasn't worrying about Shego leaving us. Naw… I know she wouldn't do that… Yeah I'm good…Yeah. I mean Shego is a experienced woman. Why would she want to leave me? Why would she want to leave a loser?" Ron stated and then started to hyperventilate.

Shego looked in confusion past Ron to Kim.

"Ron doesn't lie well." Kim explained.

Shego put the pieces together. "You were sitting there worrying if I was suddenly going to get bored and dump you and Kim?" Shego's eyes widened. "And then in my attempt to get you to talk I said just that. I'm so sorry Ron. I don't ever want to leave you or Kim and I will never threaten that again, I promise."

Ron's erratic breathing began to ease.

"Was that the only thing you were thinking and worrying about?" Shego added.

Ron became nervous once again but decided to bite the bullet and do the hard thing and just share what he was thinking. "Well? Not really. I was also worrying about how we are going to make this work and what me and Kim's parents are going to do. Mrs. Dr. P knows about us and it is not like we are going to be able to keep this quiet for long. And what will you do while me and Kim are in school?"

Shego put her hand on Ron's arm to get his attention. "I've told you, we'll deal with this all when it comes up. Don't worry about it now Ron. And it is not for you to have to deal with it all by yourself. Me and Kim will be right there beside you."

Kim nodded her head.

Ron after a moment nodded his head as well. "I'm also worried about this mission. It just doesn't feel right."

Kim rolled her eyes but Shego decided to really listen to Ron. All ready she was understanding that Ron had hidden depths and talents. "What is it about this that disturbs you that much? I mean beyond the fact some teens got killed horribly."

"There is this kind of icy creepy feeling running up and down my back." Ron explained.

"Ron your imagination is running away from you…" Kim started.

"I got this feeling back when we first came across Monty Fisk and I was right about him wasn't I? And I was right about Gill wasn't I?" Ron countered.

Kim frowned at Ron interrupting her but she couldn't argue that Ron had pegged Monty as being dangerous and a freak at first glance and when everyone had thought Gill had changed, Ron had been right about him being still evil as well.

"Look Ronnie, there's nothing to worry about. The police are under pressure to make a quick arrest and convict someone of these crimes. They can't find anyone on their own so to make it look good they have called in Kim. They think she'll look around a bit and not find anything either and they can point to that and say. "See? Not even the great Kim Possible could find anything." And it will be all over with." Shego tried to reassure him.

Kim's frown grew deeper. "The police of that town aren't calling me in to just make themselves look good by my failing. They fully expect me to find the killer and bring him to justice and that is exactly what I plan to do!"

Shego looked at Kim as if she was crazy. "You and Ron are due back in school tomorrow. It is going to take us at least another 3 hours to get there. You will barely have time to examine the scenes of the crime before you have to turn around and go home or miss school. And I'm not letting that happen."

Kim raised an eyebrow. "Never figured you would be so gung-ho on us attending school Shego."

Shego shrugged. "Frankly I wouldn't care if you both dropped out and moved in with me right now. I know I have enough money stashed away to see to our needs for the next 80 or 90 years but I will be damned if I let Dr. Director point at me and say I was the one who corrupted Team Possible and ruined them."

"Well definitely not ruined them, but if Dr. Director were to learn what you did to us last night she would say corrupted a little?" Kim asked with a hint of a smirk.

Shego raised her own eyebrow at the red haired teen. "Seems to me that last night you did your fair share of corrupting too." Shego had to resist the urge to laugh as Kim promptly blushed bright red. "Are all your missions like this by the way?"

Kim her skin finally returning to a normal hue looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean this slow? You and Ron have saved the world several times. Heck at least half a dozen times just from Drakken and me, so why can't they get you some faster transportation to locations?"

Ron frowned at Shego's reminder that she used to be on the wrong side of law till very recently. "It is how we do things. Kim gets rides from people she has helped and we don't get to pick. Whoever happens to be going the way we need to be, we take it."

"People we've helped Ron." Kim reminded him.

"I can think of someway to pass the time till we arrive at this Springwood town." Shego said casually.

Ron trying to take his mind off the weird vibes he kept having whenever he thought of their destination glanced over at the green skinned woman. "Oh? Like what?"

"I could help you and Kim become members of the 'Mile High' club." Shego replied with a much too innocent look on her face.

Shego found Ron's confusion to just be too adorable. "Huh? What's that?" He asked.

"Um Ron? The Mile High club is people who have had sex while flying in airplanes." Kim explained.

Shego leaned forward to look past Ron at Kim. "And how do you know that Princess?" She asked with a hint of amusement. "You and Ron aren't already members are you?" She added knowing fully well that Kim and Ron hadn't acted on their mutual attractions till after she had come along.

"I do watch TV and read." Kim replied.

To Shego's surprise Ron's confusion on his face didn't clear with the explanation. "How do people manage to have sex while flying without crashing the planes?" He asked.

Shego stared at him to see if he was putting her on. "It doesn't have to be the people flying the planes having sex to qualify for the Mile High club Ron…" She stopped as she noticed just a slight twinkling of his eyes. Suddenly she knew he was putting her on and he just like Kim had known what the Mile High Club was about.

"Oh just for that Ronnie you don't get to play. You can watch as me and Kimmie get our membership in the Mile High Club and you don't!" Shego said with a smirk.

Ron suddenly screwed his face up causing Shego's eyes to widen and then her to laugh. "What the hell is that?" She asked pointing at his face.

"My version of the puppy dog pout?" Ron said.

Shego laughed again but not maliciously as she might have done once before but with real amusement. "I don't think you have quite got it right yet Ronnie."

"Maybe not but is it working?" Ron said as he tried to look like a begging puppy even more.

Shego felt a warm tingle run through her looking at the blond haired man before her.

"Aww heck. Why should I punish myself by denying myself…" Shego paused as she tried to figure out just how to word what she might be denying herself.

"Ronshine?" Kim said looking lovingly at Ron.

"Ronshine?" Shego asked more to herself.

"_Yeah that is exactly what it feels like. Warmth, happiness, love. Ronshine describes it perfectly."_ Shego thought to herself.

"Okay, we are all going to join the Mile High Club today." Shego said with a smile.

Ron, his attempt at playfully begging over with glanced nervously at the door to the cockpit of the plane. "What about…?"

"Them? I'm sure they are already members of the Mile High Club and if not they aren't getting to it through us." Shego said deliberately misunderstanding what Ron was trying to say.

Ron shook his head at Shego's playing. "No I mean what if they were to walk in on us?"

It was Shego's turn to shake her head. "They are flying the plane Ron. They aren't going to suddenly look in on us. They have other things to pay attention to."

"What about the Load Master? She doesn't have anything to do while the plane is in the air and there is no cargo to be checked."

Shego blinked. She wasn't aware that Ron knew about cargo plane crews but he was right on the money. On every military cargo plane there were five crew members. A Pilot, of course. A Co-Pilot, a Navigator, a Engineer and the Load Master Ron mentioned. The first four had operations of the plane to keep them occupied but the Load Master's job was to see the cargo properly loaded on the plane and periodically check the cargo during a flight to make sure it hadn't shifted or become unrestrained in flight.

Even though this flight was empty as the plane was going to a location to pick up cargo, there was by regulations still a Load Master onboard. And Shego had noticed as they boarded the plane it had been a cute if not somewhat butch looking blond woman with short cut hair.

"Okay, if she looks in and sees us, she sees us. But she is not joining in! I'm not sharing you or Kimmie with her." Shego said as she reached out and started tugging Ron's shirt out of his pants.

"Kim help?" Ron said trying to sound as if he was fearful but instead came off sounding more excited than anything else.

Kim was studying the cargo netting that was attached to the insides of the plane. "I bet we could make use of this…" Kim muttered as Shego attempted to strip Ron of all of his clothing.

"Ooh good call Kimmie. When we get a place together and move in we'll have to see about getting some of the netting for the 'playroom' but for right now get over here!"

Kim walked over to where Shego seem to be attempting to pull down Ron's pants.

"You going to tell me after all the times his pants fell down on their own, you are having trouble now?"

"Nope not at all." Shego said with a smirk. "Just you need to be stripped too!" The green skinned woman said as she suddenly grabbed the bottom of Kim's shirt and pulled upwards. Kim caught off guard found herself down to her bra and panties in record time.

Rufus feeling Ron's pants being dropped to the deck of the plane crawled out of the pocket he had been in and took a look around. The little naked mole rat's eyes widened when he saw what was going on but then just shook his tiny head and crawled back into the pocket once again. _"It must be mating season."_ He thought to himself.

Hellena Schimm, Load Master of the United States Air force shifted her rear on the hard fold out seat in the cockpit of the plane. She meant to bring a crossword puzzle with her to help while away the time but at the last moment forgot it. There was no cargo in the hold for her to check up on and she didn't want the passengers riding back there now to think she was spying on them by going back. She had thought of getting Kim Possible's autograph and pretend it was for someone else but that seemed a little too fan-ish to her.

Hellena had also wondered what the infamous Shego was doing with the two teens. She easily recognized the wanted criminal from all the television exposes done on her. But the crew had been notified that Shego was cleared for the trip and not to harass or bother the green skinned woman.

The pilot glanced over at her and could easily see she was bored. "How's our passengers doing? I hope they aren't getting air sick back there?"

Hellena shrugged and pulling the cockpit door open slightly she looked back.

Her eyes widen in surprise. She couldn't remember what the blond haired guy's name was that traveled with Kim Possible but it was blatantly obvious that he was more than just some sidekick by what he was doing back there with the two women. Hellena had to admit she was impressed by what she was seeing.

She had of course done her share of sex in the air. Something about the motion of flight and the thrill it might be your last time makes almost everyone horny at one time or another.

But not even Hellena had done it with two other people at the same time and so gymnastically either. Even over the plane's roar she could hear Kim and Shego moaning. She even caught the name Ron and Ronnie several times and deduced that was what the blond haired guy's name was.

Not wanting to embarrass the heroes, she slowly shut the cockpit's door.

"Well how are they doing back there?" The pilot asked glancing over at her again.

"I would say they have everything well in hand." Hellena said with a smirk.

Two hours later Hellena cautiously opened the door to notify the three they were nearing their jump off point.

To be honest, to Hellena's disappointment the three were now clothed again. They were sitting on the fold out seats on the side of the plane. Ron in the middle with the two women on either side of him. They were leaning on him and Ron would nuzzle one's neck before turning his head and doing the same to the other.

Hellena was more into women than guys but she had to admit both Shego and Possible had looks of complete contentment on their faces.

Clearing her throat Hellena stepped out from the cockpit entrance. Shego didn't even bother to lift her head up from Ron's shoulder. Kim quickly looked up and started blushing. Ron merely looked over at her.

"We'll be over the jump off point in ten minutes, you better prepare." Hellena told them and then catching Shego's eye she smiled at her.

Shego, never one to be embarrassed, hoped that if the military woman had caught their previous performance that she had enjoyed the show.

Shego rose to her feet and stretched. "You mean we have to jump?" She asked Kim.

Kim nodded her head. "Of course. This plane isn't landing in Springwood, only flying over it."

Shego shook her head once again. "They expect a couple of teenagers to save the world on a regular basis but they don't provide transportation or even land for you?" Shego eyed Kim and Ron for a moment. "Are you sure you don't want to switch sides and do the criminal thing? Better pay?"

Ron merely smiled at her. "But lousy retirement potential."

Shego shrugged into her parachute. "I haven't heard many heroes who have retired in style yet either." She muttered to herself. Shego resisted the urge to roll her eyes as both Ron and then Kim checked her chute to make sure it was fastened correctly but then she did the same for them too.

Shego even surprised herself by checking to make sure that Rufus was in Ron's pocket and the Velcro closure was firmly closed so there was no chance the little guy could fall out in mid fall.

As Shego waited for the light to come on to tell them to jump she could just imagine what Dr. Drakken would have said about her worrying over a naked mole rat's safety.

"It's not weakness to care about someone and want to make sure they are safe." Ron surprised her by whispering into her ear as he stood beside her and Kim waiting for the signal.

Before Shego could ask how he knew what she had been thinking the light came on and with Kim's urging both her and Ron were out the hatch and free falling with Kim right behind them.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shego briefly closed her eyes in pleasure at the sensation of free falling. The rush of wind, the sense of danger. It was a high she had to admit to loving.

Finally opening her eyes she glanced over at Ron who was free falling four or five feet away from her and slightly above. Ron had his eyes nervously glued to a altimeter strapped to his wrist.

"_Poor Ron doesn't seem to like parachuting. I would think he would get enough of it being Kim's sidekick."_ Shego frowned at her thoughts. _"I mean partner. He should be used to it by now."_

Shego felt a whoosh of wind on the side away from Ron and glanced over to see Kim rocketing past. While Ron and Shego had their arms and legs spread out to slow their descents, Kim had her arms glued to her sides and to Shego's eyes was doing her best to imitate a lawn dart. Shego barely caught a almost manic gleam of a smile on Kim's face. It was obvious that Kim was definitely getting off on the thrill of free falling, maybe even more so than Shego herself was.

Ron finally pulled his eyes off of his altimeter to call out to Kim. "You are at the chute level Kim! Pull the ripcord now!" He frantically screamed. Kim however ignored him. Her eyes shut in bliss and a large smile on her face she continued to plummet towards the ground.

"Aww Kim! Don't do this to me again." Ron whined once before pulling his arms and legs tightly against his body to increase his own descent. Shego watched as now Ron plummeted past her and with minute alterations in his body began to angle towards where Kim was falling. Ron being heavier than Kim was slowly gaining on her.

Suddenly it became clear to Shego what was going on. In parachuting there is a point in the fall where even if you do open your chute, the speed at which you are traveling becomes so great that the landing can break your legs. In cartoons, characters may be able to open a chute two feet off the ground and land light as a feather but in real life you can slam into the ground with a open chute and still be just as dead as if you never opened it.

Kim was a adrenalin junkie. Anything dangerous turned her on to such a degree that she sometimes lost contact with reality and when it came to free falling she did. Ron's constant checking of his altimeter wasn't worried about himself, he was worried about Kim. Shego pulled her arms and legs together to decrease the air drag on herself and tried to join Ron to help him pull Kim out of her adrenalin induced haze before it was too late.

As Shego drew near, Ron glanced over at her. "Pull your ripcord now Shego! I can take care of Kim." He shouted and then turned his attention to Kim yelling at her to pull her chute.

Shego drawing even closer shouted at Kim from the other side. "Kimmie if you don't pull your ripcord right this second…. I will make sure there is no more fun times with you, me and Ron for at least a month!"

Kim suddenly opened her eyes and blinked a few times and reaching out grasped the ripcord on her chute and tugged on it. Her chute blossomed above her and Shego and Ron immediately shot past her as the chute dragged Kim's descent to a almost abrupt standstill before she started to gently float downward.

Shego couldn't resist a smirk. She had just found a way to draw Kimmie out of a adrenalin rush. Threaten to cut off sex. Shego was mentally patting herself on the back for her discovery when she noticed that Ron was wildly waving his arms in her direction and shouting at her. Turning her attention to him she listened to what he had to say.

"Pull your ripcord Shego!" Ron yelled again.

Ron was treated to a sight he had never seen before. Shego not only blushing but with a sheepish look on her face at the same time. "Oh yeah, right." Shego stated as she pulled her own ripcord to release her chute. Shego rocketed upwards as her chute caught the air and slowed her descent.

Ron continued to plummet for a half a dozen or so feet while he looked up at the two gently floating women above him. They could almost be angels he thought to himself. Suddenly he felt a frantic tugging at his pants' pocket and glancing down saw Rufus waving at him. Ron could barely hear past the rushing wind as his naked mole rat buddy shouted up at him. "Chute! Chute!"

"Ack!" Ron shouted as he grabbed for his ripcord and quickly tugged it.

Lt. Thompson angrily stormed out of the police station where he was in charge. One of his deputies following at his heels. He had just suffered from a week from Hell with teenagers killing other teenagers and then committing suicide and general strangeness and now the mayor of the city had brought in some kind of teenage super hero to do his job for him because as the mayor put it, "it's obvious you can't handle it yourself!"

All in all, the stress, frustration and worry was putting Thompson on edge. With all that was going on he should really have put himself off the case and let someone else handle it but there was no way he was going to do that.

Sgt. Parker stood beside him watching him closely. He better than most knew what the Lt. was going through and was worried that any little thing might be the thing to cause him to snap. Finally though he couldn't contain himself any longer.

"Um chief? What are we doing out here?"

Thompson shot him a glare before visibly forcing himself to relax. "The mayor has called in Kim Possible to find our killer for us. I've been instructed she should be arriving any moment and to wait for her here." He growled at his deputy.

Parker reached up and removing his hat and idly scratched his head. "The Kim Possible? Wow. I would be impressed if it wasn't a slap in our face. Why here in the parking lot and not in the station or somewhere else?"

Thompson once again glared at his deputy. "Look. I don't know! I was just ordered to stand here and wait…" He broke off his growling when he heard a noise in the sky above them.

Glancing up, both of them spotted a scrawny looking blond guy coming down hard with a parachute. A sudden gust of wind caught the chute and caused it to wrap around the top of a light pole in the police station parking lot. The falling guy had such moment the sudden tangling of his chute caused him to flip in mid air and ended up tying himself up in the chute's cords. There the guy with an embarrassed look on his face dangled about four feet above the officers' heads.

Sgt. Parker was just about to ask his chief what he thought about the strange guy's entrance and who he might be when they both spotted two more chutes slowly drifting down. The closer chute had a woman wearing black cargo pants and a dark green shirt. She had long flowing black hair. As she neared a landing she shucked her way out of the chute's harness and landed lightly on her feet in front of them. As the two police officers stared at the strange woman they both noticed that her skin was a light green tone.

Sgt. Parker's hand shot down to his holstered gun as he prepared to draw it.

"Whoa! I'm with them!" Shego shouted.

Thompson rested a hand on his deputy's shoulder. Telling him without words to stand down. They both glanced up at the last chute in the air in time to see a redhead slip out of her harness as well. With a gymnastic like flip she landed protectively in front of Shego.

"Shego is with me." Kim stated.

"I knew I was right!" Parker muttered. "She is the notorious criminal known as Shego."

"What gave me away? The fact my skin is green or just my stunning good looks in general?" Shego quipped.

Kim glanced over her shoulder at her. "Not helpful Shego." Kim said as she raised her hands to the officers hoping they wouldn't overreact before she could explain everything to them.

"Um, yeah. About being helpful? Can I get a little help over here! Please?" Ron's voice called out from where he was hanging from the cords of his chute.

Kim looked over at Ron and started to move in his direction but was stopped by Shego's hand on her shoulder. "You explain the sitch to the guys in blue Princess. I'll go get our guy." And in so saying Shego stepped cautiously around Kim and keeping a wary eye on the cops and moved over to stand underneath Ron's tangled form.

Flaring up her green plasma fire she took careful aim and fired over a nervous Stoppable's head into the cords connecting him to his chute, severing them. Ron fell the 10-12 feet towards the ground but before he could hit the unforgiving concrete Shego placed a hand on his back as he fell and flipped him to his feet.

"Wow thanks Shego!" Ron said happy he was no longer a human pinata. "And my pants didn't even come down this time!"

"We'll save that for when the mission is over with Ronnie." Shego said with a smirk.

Together they walked back over to where Kim was finishing up her explanations to the Springwood police officers. Lt. Thompson shot one more glare at the paper Kim had given to him from Global Justice. It in effect instructed any police or military officials not to hamper, delay or in anyway harass the individual known as Shego. That she was now under the care of Global Justice and as a agent she was cleared of all previous misdeeds. Well at least those committed in the United States. Other countries warrants would have to be cleared with them on a one on one basis.

"Not only a teen super hero but a ex-notorious criminal? Just what my town needs." He muttered as he handed the paper back to Possible.

Kim angered more by the slight to Shego than to herself frowned. "I will remind you that I was asked to come here and help."

"Not by me. By the mayor of this town. Let's get that straight right now! I don't need nor want your help but I am under orders to assist you in your investigations in any way I can but I don't have to like it!" Thompson growled as he turned to reenter the police station. "Well come on. I expect you will want to see the reports before we go to check out the locations."

"Nice guy." Shego said to Kim as they followed him and his deputy to the entrance to the building. "Wonder what crawled up his ass and died?"

"Shego. Let's try and not antagonize the police in this town. We are just here to find the killer and stop them from harming anyone else." Kim admonished her.

As they entered the main lobby area of the police station, Ron violently shuddered. A action that was not lost on Shego.

"What's wrong Ron?" She asked as she glanced around herself. The police station was nothing special, Shego had seen far more of her share than other people of the inside of police stations and they all pretty much looked and smelled the same.

"Someone recently died here." Ron said in a shaky voice.

Lt. Thompson glanced over at the spiky blond haired teen with a raised eyebrow. "Not only a teen wannabe hero and a ex-criminal but a wannabe psychic too?"

"I'm not a psychic. I just sense things at times." Ron replied as he wandered over to the door leading to the holding cells. "Besides, I am right aren't I?"

Thompson briefly wondered to himself what the difference was between a psychic and someone who occasionally 'sensed things' but before he could respond his sergeant replied.

"The first murder was committed by a girl's boyfriend. He later hung himself from the cell we had him in."

Ron glanced through the small window in the door at the holding cells. He didn't reply verbally but he shook his head no all the same. There was a very palpable sense of evil hanging around the jail cells and not the kind of evil of someone who killed someone and then hung themselves out of guilt or fear. There was a deep sick kind of malevolent evil lingering around the cells. One that scared Ron and reminded him most unpleasantly of Jason Voorhees that he, Kim and Shego had so recently fought.

Lt. Thompson ushered them into his private office. Kim quickly and without thinking about it commandeered one of the chairs in front of his desk and pulled it closer to his desk. She was used to people being happy about receiving her help. The raw annoyance she was getting from the police chief was rubbing her the wrong way and she just wanted to get this over and done with.

Ron politely pulled the second chair out and gestured for Shego to sit down. Shego wasn't used to men being chivalrous and doing things like pulling chairs out for her or holding open doors, most of the time men were either gawking at her or running in fear so she hesitated for a moment but eventually sat down. Ron continued to stand between the two women in his life while the deputy they had met outside continued to stand at the door to the room and keep an eye on all of them. Although Ron felt he was keeping more of an eye on Shego than anything else. Ron felt a surge of jealousy until he realized the man wasn't ogling Shego but keeping a suspicious eye on her. It was sometimes hard for Ron to remember that until very recently Shego was a wanted criminal and therefore of course watched with suspicion where ever she went.

Thompson sat down heavily in his office chair behind his desk and glared at Kim Possible but when she in no way flinched or broke his gaze he finally sighed and opening the top drawer of his desk he pulled a folder out and slid it across his desk towards her.

"Here's the coroner's report on the murder." He paused and raised one eyebrow. "Are you sure you can handle it? It's not pretty and its damn strange."

Kim felt her anger start to rise. "I'm sure I've seen uglier and stranger things!" She flipped open the folder and began to read. Over her shoulder she could feel Ron and Shego's presence and knew they were looking at the documents too.

As she read the Coroner's report Kim's face paled till her freckles were clearly visible. She swallowed several times as she tried to keep from getting sick.

Decedent:Glen Lantz

Residence Address:1431 Elm Street

Weight:165

Hair:Brown

Eyes:Blue

Circumstances of Death

* * *

Decedent appears to have been sucked into a giant hole within his bed. A Human body only contains 9 pints of blood, but 50 to 60 pints of blood were found at death scene. Most of blood appears to have shot from giant hole in victim's bed (see photos) directly onto ceiling. Investigations continue on how hole was created and by what in mattress. 

Kim's eyes widened in horror as she flipped the typewritten sheet over and found herself staring at the referenced crime scene photos. The boy's bedroom as literally painted in blood. There wasn't even any way to tell what the color of the carpet in the boy's room had originally been. It was now a lurid dark red from the blood.

Taking a deep swallow she managed to ask with hardly a waver in her voice. "Do you have any theories on what happened or how?"

Lt. Thompson sat back in his chair and stared back at her. "What happened is obvious. A young teen boy was sitting on his bed late at night watching TV and listening to his stereo when something pulled him down into his mattress and then pureed him into a blood smoothie and then spat him out. As for the how? Well that is what you are here for. To miraculously hand us a solution."

Ron stepped forward between Shego's and Kim's chairs till he was nearly leaning over the desk towards the police chief. "What is your damage dude! The mayor went over your head and brought Kim into this case and you don't like that? Fine. I can understand that but you are being down right hostile towards us! Is your ego so large that you can't stand that Kim might be able to help and bring a killer to justice before you can?"

Thompson leapt to his feet and leaned over his desk in Ron's direction as well. "Listen kid! I was solving crimes when she was still in a crib! I don't need any help protecting my town!"

"And we were saving the entire world while you were out writing parking tickets too!" Ron shouted back. "But if someone had offered us help, we would have gladly taken it! Especially if it meant someone was saved and kept from being hurt!"

Shego and Kim blinked and looked at each other. It was unusual for Ron who was always somewhat laid back to become so annoyed so quickly or to argue with a authority figure. Kim fancied that she spotted a glow starting to come from Ron's eyes. She had to calm the situation quickly or the only thing Ron would be investigating in this town would be the jail cells.

"Where are the other reports?" She asked in a normal voice.

This was enough to distract Thompson and Ron for a moment as they both glanced in her direction.

"What other reports?" Thompson asked. "This is the only unsolved murder we have at the moment."

"You stated earlier that a murder was committed by some girl's boyfriend and that he later hung himself in the jail cell. I would like to see that report as well." Kim replied evenly.

"Why? That is a open and shut case. The boy was with the girl in a locked room after having sex with her. He killed her. There are no other explanations." The deputy in the back of the room spoke up.

Thompson sat back down in his office chair and raised a hand in the deputy's direction. "That's okay. If the wonder Possible wants to waste valuable time looking at old reports who are we to argue with her?"

Opening the top drawer of his desk he reached in and pulled another folder lying on top and tossed it across the desk to Kim's side.

As Kim opened the file and began to peruse it, Shego's eyes widened slightly. If the case had been so open and shut then that file would have been in a filing cabinet, not in the police chief's desk drawer with the other file. The fact it was showed that the cop didn't believe the 'official' record. Shego glanced over at Ron who was still standing in front of the officer's desk, just not leaning over it so aggressively any more and she suddenly realized what Ron had already picked up on. Lt. Thompson knew more about what was going on than he was telling.

Shego leaned forward in her chair to read the file along with Kim.

Decedent: Tina Grey

Residence Address:842 Elm Street

Weight:111

Hair:Blond

Eyes: Blue

Circumstances of Death

Victim appears to have been sliced through the stomach and chest. Sternum is cracked from excessive force, 9 ribs are cracked or shattered. Forensic reports suggest that victim was dragged across bedroom ceiling during and after slaying.

"Did you find the weapon the kid used on the girl or how he managed to drag her body up a wall and across a ceiling?" Shego asked.

Lt. Thompson shared a look with his deputy that wasn't lost on Shego but then replied. "No we didn't identify the weapon or how he managed to drag her body along the ceiling."

"Can we see the coroner's report on his 'suicide'" Ron asked with a heavy skeptic emphasis on the word suicide.

The police chief shot Ron a annoyed look but once again reaching into his top desk drawer he pulled out another file and slid this one over to Ron.

Ron took the file and squatting down between Shego and Kim's chairs so they could read it along with him he opened the folder.

Decedent:Rod Lane

Residence Address:3490 19th St

Weight:220

Hair:Brown

Eyes:Brown

Circumstances of Death

Apparent suicide. Decedent appears to have hung himself with a bed sheet in jail cell. Early reports have not discerned how body was raised for hanging. Investigation continuing. Decedent was suspect in murder case of girlfriend.

"Was there anything else unusual about his death?" Ron asked as he handed the folder over to Kim.

"Well the chief's daughter showed up right around the time he killed himself and said something strange was going on and we needed to check on the boy." The deputy at the doorway replied.

Lt. Thompson slammed his hand down on his desk causing everyone in the room to jump slightly. "My daughter has nothing to do with that case." He growled. Getting up from his desk he came around the front and grabbed the folders out of Kim and Shego's hands. "I assume you will want to check out the scene of the attack? I mean of course the one murder you are supposedly here to solve." He replied in barely concealed sarcasm as he tossed the folders back on to his desk.

As Ron, Shego and Kim were lead to a patrol car to take them to the Lantz's family home, or what used to be the Lantz's family home as the parents had abandoned the home the night of their son's death, Ron suddenly yawned.

"Tired Ronnie?" Shego said with a faint smirk. She knew he had very little sleep the night before because neither had her or Kimmie.

Ron gave into Shego's gentle teasing, grateful for anything to take his mind off the strange crawling sensations this town was giving him.

"Yeah. For some reason, I didn't seem to sleep too well last night." He replied.

Kim fully in 'game mode' only blushed slightly at the reference to her, Ron and Shego's marathon makeout session of the night before but she wondered at Lt. Thompson's reaction when she noticed him stiffen and tense up at Ron's apparent innocent comment about not sleeping.

Coroner's reports come from the website http/ 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Ron sat in the back of the patrol car between Kim and Shego and tried desperately to keep from falling asleep. Life as Kim Possible's sidekick was always a hectic one but the last week had to be one for the record books.

From aliens from other dimensions to demonic corpses and now this. Everyone kept telling him it was just a 'simple' murder in a small town but every sense in his body screamed it was much more.

That was enough stress to keep anyone from sleeping well but then factor in his new love life too.

Now there was a strange thought. From secretly loving and longing for his best friend but never daring to tell her how he felt, to the occasional heated fantasy involving a super hot villainess that just happened to have the most appealing green tinted skin, to the reality of a sexual relationship with both of them. While it was every man's fantasy, the reality of it was enough to exhaust the most energetic of men. And that was exactly what Ron Stoppable was at the moment... Exhausted.

Ron's head dropped to his chest and he quickly jerked it back up and looked left and right to see if Kim or Shego had caught him dozing off. Ron frowned when he noticed Kim and Shego were staring straight forward and didn't seem to notice his sudden movements or that he was looking at them.

"Hey Kim, Shego. Hope I didn't snore." He joked hoping to get some kind of reaction from his lovers. Both women however continued to stare straight forward and didn't even blink.

Ron sat for a several long moments wondering if both women were zoning or were ignoring him for some reason. He had lost his cool there back at the station but that was because he could detect that the police chief was lying to them for some reason.

That was bad enough when you take the time to drop out of the sky in parachutes to help someone but he was also incredibly rude and caustic to Kim and Shego! In Ron's mind that was inexcusable, so he lost his cool a bit. Surely the girls weren't so angry at him they were ignoring him and giving him the silent treatment.

Even though the situation was very serious and somewhat tense, Ron reached over and tickled Shego under her arm in an attempt to get her to react to him. Even if she just turned and slugged him it would have been better than the silent, almost wax figure like act she was doing now.

Nothing.

Ron with a sigh looked past the women at the street the patrol car was going down. Just another typical small town. The residential streets could have been in Middletown for all the distinctiveness they had. Typical tree lined streets. Typical white painted houses with manicured lawns. Typical creepy looking little girls playing jump rope in the front yards...

Ron frowned. While he had seen girls playing jump rope in his home town of Middletown, the ones outside the patrol car in Springwood just looked odd. For one thing all the girls were dressed in white. Unusual to find children all wearing the same color clothing unless they were triplets but there was a fuzzy quality to them as well. Almost as if they weren't quite real somehow.

Ron turned in his seat to watch the girls jump roping as long as he could as the slow moving patrol car crawled by them.

That was another thing that was strange. The patrol car was moving at such a slow rate, Ron felt he could have gotten out and walked faster. He knew it wasn't like the crime scene was that fresh. The murder having taking place sometime yesterday or the day before and the murderer most likely wasn't still hanging around the place but why the slow speed?

Ron thought about nudging Kim and Shego to ask them what they thought about their snail's pace but with a shake of his head he gave up on that idea. Leaning forward he addressed the deputy riding on the passenger side of the car in the front.

The Police chief obviously didn't care for Ron that much and Ron doubted he would answer him but maybe the deputy would.

"How much longer till our destination?" He asked trying to be overly polite.

The deputy suddenly turned his body to look back through the metal grating that separated the driver's compartment with the back seat of the patrol car.

Ron suddenly sat back as he noticed instead of the deputy he was expecting there was some guy with a burnt face grinning at him. The burnt faced man raised a hand and Ron's eyes grew wide when he saw that he was wearing some kind of knives made into a glove on that hand. The strange man slowly raked the knives over the metal grating causing a most unpleasant screeching noise.

"Your final destination is almost here!" The man growled at Ron with a voice that sounded like he had gargled with razor blades. With a sudden shove the burnt man sliced through the grating with the finger knives as if the metal grating was so much tissue paper.

Ron woke with a start just as the blades were about to slam into his face.

Kim sitting in the patrol car kept going over the crime scene pictures in her head. While the memory of those pictures made her want to hurl she was determined to find some clue the police had missed. Whoever this sick twisted person was going around killing, she was determined they were going to be stopped. She was Kim Possible and anything was possible for a Possible. Even finding a killer the police couldn't.

Glancing over at Shego she noticed the older woman was sitting with a melancholy smile on her face.

"_Probably remembering other times she rode in the back of police cars and not as a 'guest' like she is now."_ Kim thought to herself.

Glancing at Ron sitting right beside her she wasn't all that surprised to find the blond sound asleep.

"_At least he isn't drooling."_ Kim thought to herself with a faint smile.

Kim could see that the patrol car was easing to the side of the road about to stop in front of a house so she turned back to wake Ron. She frowned when she saw that for some reason he was now sweating and his breathing had turned very rapid. She reached out and placed a hand on him to shake him awake when he woke with a shout and looked around wildly as if searching for someone.

"Darn it Ron! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Kim yelled at him.

"I think he did give me one." Shego added.

Both women continued to look at Ron curiously as he leaned forward and cautiously reached out a hand and touched the metal grating that separated the rear seat from the driver's compartment.

The deputy who had given a start when Ron shouted looked back at him in question.

Ron let his hand drop to his lap and slowly shook his head as if he was in a daze.

Lt. Thompson had climbed out of the driver's seat and was opening the back of the patrol car to let Shego, Ron and Kim out when he heard Ron mutter. "Just a nightmare I guess. But why would I dream of some burnt freak I've never seen before?"

Shego who was sitting on the side that the police chief had opened clearly saw the man's face turn pure white and his hand tighten on the handle of the car door.

Shego continued to watch him closely as she slid out of the back seat and stood up beside the car. After a moment Ron and Kim exited the vehicle too but by that time Thompson had regained control over himself.

"Sergeant Parker will take you into the Lantz's home and show you the crime scene. I have something else while I'm in the neighborhood I need to check on." So saying Lt. Thompson walked across the street towards a house that was directly across from the one they were parked in front of.

"What about the murdered boy's family?" Kim asked nervously. It was one thing to examine a horrible crime scene, it was quite another to do it and have to meet the family of the dead person.

"No worries there." Sgt. Parker explained. "They left the house the night of the murder. Abandoned everything and just walked out the door. I don't think they'll ever come back here or to this town again."

"What about all their possessions?" Shego asked. "Aren't they afraid someone will steal something? I mean I can understand not wanting to be in the house after what happened but why don't they have someone box their stuff up and send it to them?"

Parker lead them to the front door of the house and just pushed on the door. It swung open revealing it wasn't even locked. "I don't think they care any more after the loss of their only son and they may have reasoned that no one would willingly walk into a house where something like this happened." Parker looked Shego up and down. "Are you?"

Shego frowned at the police officer and entered the house first. She was Shego! She had seen more destruction than that pathetic police officer could imagine. She had even seen some gruesome murders, fortunately none of them she had committed herself. Her crimes while highly destructive were always without fatalities. One of the reasons Global Justice was willing to give her a second chance.

But even the mighty Shego faltered when she saw a bucket sitting in the middle of the living room filled with old black blood. The bucket had overflowed and stained the living room carpet with a huge stain of blood. The buzzing of flies and the smell of death almost made Shego turn right around and walk out again.

She doubted there were any clues to be found in this house of horrors that the police had missed, and more than anything she wanted to spare Kimmie or Ron the experience.

She knew the two teens were hardly children but something like this could seriously screw someone up inside for years.

The static crime photos were bad enough. But for Kim and Ron to have to go upstairs and see with their own bare eyes the scene they had looked at in the photos?

Paker walked in and stood beside the quite green tinted woman. He shook his head as he gazed at the bucket sitting in the middle of the living room. "They emptied that bucket three times." He said but Shego could tell he was not talking to her but merely saying the words out loud almost as if he was in shock himself.

"Three times and the blood just kept pouring from the ceiling."

Shego turned and started for the front door. She had made up her mind. There was no way she was subjecting Ron and Kim to this place. Unfortunately as she neared the door Kim walked in and went straight for the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Kimmie, no!" Shego said as she reached out to grab the younger woman's arm. Kim avoided Shego's grasp however.

"We are here to find clues so this kind of thing doesn't happen again. I'm not a child Shego! I can take whatever there is upstairs." Kim replied as she started up the stairs.

"Kim?" Ron's voice caused her to pause on the steps with Shego right behind her. Both women looked back at the man they had come to love. Ron's face was white and he looked ill. He was breathing through his mouth to keep the smell out of his nose and frankly he looked like he was about to throw up at any moment.

Kim's determined look softened for just a moment. "Ron you don't need to do this. I will just go up and scan the room for Wade to see if his computers can pick anything up the police missed. Why don't you stay outside and see if you can find anything outside?"

Ron hesitated. There was nothing more that he wanted to do at that second than get the hell out of that house but he couldn't just let Kim face what was coming alone.

As if Shego could read his mind, she tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I'll keep an eye out for princess and make sure she doesn't get so stubborn she takes on something she can't handle. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to bring Rufus in here with the smell and all." Shego said as she nodded towards Ron's pocket where a very ill looking Rufus was leaning out of.

Still Ron was reluctant.

"Ron? Both Kimmie and I know if there was any dangers here you would be right here with us. But there is no sense in you making you and Rufus sick just to prove it. We'll get the scans for nerdling and then get out of here. Now go outside."

Ron with a sigh turned to go out and noticed Sgt. Parker was standing next to the front door as if he was going to go outside as well. "Aren't you at least going to go up with them?" He asked.

Parker shook his head. "Been there. Not doing it again."

Ron turned and raced up the stairs. There was no way he was staying outside if even the police wouldn't go up with the two women.

"Ron? If you come up these stairs I promise you it will be you that get no fun times for months!" Shego's voice called down. "Now go OUTSIDE!"

Ron raised a foot he had on the sixth step of the stairs and placed it back down on the same step loudly.

"Not going to work Ronnie! Drakken used to pull that crap on me before. Now really go back down the stairs and out that front door!"

Ron sighed loudly and stomping down the stairs he walked down and out the front door.

Ron stood on the front doorstep and looked across the street at the house that Lt. Thompson had crossed over to and entered.

The house was another nice white painted houses like the others on the block but this one had iron bars across the windows. Ron could see that there had been some on the front door too but they had been bent and broken down. The front door was hanging on its hinges at a odd angle as if someone had battered down the door as well. Ron could also see several broken windows.

"Who's house is that one? It looks like someone ransacked it. Did it have anything to do with this crime?" Ron asked gesturing with a thumb over his shoulder to the house they had just exited.

Parker looked uncomfortable but then replied. "That is Lt. Thompson's ex-wife's house. She lived there with their daughter."

"Lived?" Ron asked. He didn't like how that sounded.

Parker shifted from foot to foot. He knew if he told what he had seen and heard that night that Thompson would be very cross with him but at the same time something strange was going on in his home town. He had heard the stories of Kim Possible and some of the amazing things she had been credited with on the news. And he could always tell Thompson that he never told anything to Possible directly. He would just tell her sidekick and if he happened to repeat it to Possible later, how would it be his fault.

"I was one of the first officers called out the night this happened." Parker began gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder at the house behind them. "We arrived. Found... Well you know from the photos and the report what we found. I used the Lantz's phone to call the chief in and let him know he needed to get down here."

Parker paused for a moment. "You know I just remembered a strange thing. The phone wasn't on the hook. It was lying beside the phone." Parker shook his head annoyed at himself for getting off the track with minor details. "Anyway, once the chief had arrived but before he went upstairs, he received a call from his daughter across the street. I have no idea what she said to him but he told me to go outside and keep an eye on their house. To come get him if I saw anything peculiar."

"Like what?" Ron asked interrupting the man's story.

Parker shrugged. "I asked the same thing. John just told me anything strange. So I was standing outside, actually grateful that I didn't have to be in this house any more and trying my best to not think about what I had saw."

Parker paused for a long moment before sighing. "After, I don't know, 10 maybe 20 minutes I could see the chief's daughter at a window screaming for me to get her father. I tried to calm her down figuring she was just upset that her boyfriend had been killed that night..." Parker turned to look fully at Ron. "That was who got killed by the way. The chief didn't tell you all but everyone in town knew that Glen Lantz was Nancy's boyfriend. They grew up together and had known each other since Kindergarten."

Parker shuddered a little. "Must have been so hard on Nancy. Locked up in that house with all those security bars, not being able to get out and she could probably hear Glen's screams as whoever it was slaughtered the poor boy."

Ron felt his stomach drop. The guy who had been killed in the house behind him had known the girl across the street since Kindergarten and he had died while separated from her by less than a hundred yards? The similarities between these two people and Ron and Kim were just too close for Ron's comfort. Would Kim someday have to stand by and have to listen while Ron got hacked to bits?

Ron gave a mighty shudder and then turned his attention back to the deputy as the man continued his story.

"... We broke down the security gates Nancy's mom had recently installed and got the door open. Nancy met us at the front door crying something about she got the guy who did it. She lead us to the door to the basement. When the chief opened the door we could see the basement was on fire."

Parker paused for such a long time that Ron began to wonder if his story was over with but Ron didn't say anything for fear that the man would rethink telling him and he wouldn't hear the end of what happened that night.

"You know it is so strange." Parker started again but not looking at Ron but staring across the street at Thompson's house. "The chief ordered some of the men that came over with us to put the fire out in the basement but Nancy pointed out there was something on the floor. Looking down I could see these burning spots in the carpet. I followed along behind John and Nancy as they followed the flaming spots and they went through the kitchen and back into the living room and then up the stairs."

Parker shook his head in confusion at his memory.

"Those spots were right near the front door! We came in that way. If they had been there when we came in we would have seen them! So that means something caused those spots after we came in but we didn't see what caused them. Anyway, Nancy screamed something about someone named Freddy was now after her mom and Nancy and John went tearing up the stairs. I followed but as we arrived at the top of the stairs John, I mean Lt. Thompson gave me orders to stand guard outside the door and him and his daughter went into the room alone."

"What happened next?" Ron couldn't contain himself and asked.

Parker gave a shrug. "I heard a lot of screaming and shouting and after a few moments the chief came out and told me that his wife was missing and to put out a missing person's report on her. While we were talking the door to the bedroom closed again but frankly John was a bit dazed and I don't think he noticed. I was just starting to worry since Nancy was still in the room alone and she had been acting strangely, I mean the basement of the house was on fire and it appeared that if John's ex-wife was missing then Nancy must have done the fire herself. The door finally opened and a smiling Nancy came out. She told her father and me she had 'taken someone's energy away and mother and her friends would be back soon. That it had all been a dream.'"

Ron blinked a few times. "What happened then?"

Parker looked very uncomfortable. "The chief tried talking to Nancy but she just kept smiling crazily. Finally we called in some of the paramedics that had been across the street, they were called here even though there was nothing they could ever do for Glen, Thompson had them give Nancy a sedative and he took her away in his patrol car and no one has seen her since."

Parker was quick to add. "It is rumored he took her to the local psychiatric hospital but none of us in town have asked to spare his feelings."

Parker continued to stare across the street with Ron at the now empty and abandoned Thompson house. "I'm going to check in with the office and see if anything new has turned up." So saying the deputy left Ron staring across the street at the Thompson house and went back to the patrol car.

Kim and Shego neared the door to what had to be the boy's room. First hint was the posters and little signs plastered all over the shut door. That and the trail of crusty dried black bloody footsteps that lead away from the room.

Kim nervously swallowed. While the teen killed was much older than her brothers she couldn't help but think of how she would react coming home and finding such a scene outside their room. Suddenly the mental image of her brothers' room was replaced by one of the entrance to Ron's room instead.

That made Kim's blood inside her veins turn to ice.

Ron and her were nearly the same age as the murdered guy.

Kim tried to do everything she could do but she couldn't stop the mental daymare that ran through her mind of getting a hysterical call by Ron's mother, racing to his house and finding the scene that awaited her behind the innocent looking door in front of them.

Shego could sense Kim becoming more and more tense as they neared the murdered teen's room.

"You don't even have to look Princess. I'll take the Kimmunicator in there and do the scans for Wade." Shego stated.

"Don't be silly Shego. I'm fine." Kim lied through her teeth and ducking down both her and Shego crossed underneath the police crime scene tapes. Reaching out Kim turned the doorknob and swung the door open before Shego could stop her.

A swarm of flies having been disturbed swirled out of the room and past Kim and Shego. Next came the smell. The smell of dried blood and death.

Shego had almost made up her mind to knock Kim out and take the damn Kimmunicator in herself no matter what Kim said but the decision was taken from her when Kim took several quick steps and crossed the threshold into the room.

Shego practically leapt the short distance to regain Kim's side. For a split second Shego had the most chilling thought that the door was going to slam shut separating her from Kim and sealing Kim in the room alone forever.

Shego winced as her shoes made crunching sounds on the stiff blood encrusted carpeting of the boy's room. All the teen's possessions were still in the room except for the mattress itself. No doubt the police had that hauled away for evidence.

Shego with a growing sense of nausea looked around the room. There wasn't a single square inch of wall that was not covered in black dried blood and bits that Shego's mind refused to process as once having been part of a human body.

Looking over she spotted a white faced and slightly shaking Kim as she held up the Kimmunicator and carefully scanned everything in the room.

Shego went over to try and comfort the obviously upset younger woman and as she neared she could hear Kim muttering to herself.

"I thought nothing could be worse than the sight of those people the Cenobites skinned alive but this is ..." Kim muttered.

"As Ron would say, wrong and sick beyond words." Shego finished for her.

Kim turned to look at Shego with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for stopping Ron from coming in with us. He would follow me and now you anywhere I know but this kind of nightmare he doesn't need. Ever!"

The gruff but quickly softening Shego looked sadly at Kim. "I wish you would have let me spare you it too." She softly said.

Kim gave a half shrug. "It had to be done. I've got the readings for Wade. Let's get out of here and rejoin Ron."

Ron waited a few moments after the deputy had left him on the doorstep before running across the street to the Thompson house. The sheriff obviously didn't want to follow him to his ex-wife's house but Ron had a gut feeling there were answers to be had there.

Easing through the broken front door, Ron took a quick glance around the living room area he found himself in. He noticed easily the burnt spots in the carpet the deputy had mentioned. The patrol officers with them that night must have gotten to the fires fairly quickly because the burns were fairly restricted to small semi rounds spots on the carpet even paced out.

Ron cocked his head and examined the spots even closer. Spaced out? Ron placed one foot on a burn spot and then as if he was drunk or maybe on fire he stepped over. His foot landed almost exactly on the next burn spot.

Ron felt a shiver of ice run down his spine and unbidden the mental image of the guy in his brief nightmare came to mind. Face horribly burnt.

Hearing a noise from upstairs Ron rightly deduced it was probably the sheriff upstairs so Ron tracked what he now thought of as the burnt footsteps back towards the basement.

Passing through the living room he stopped when a scent hit his nose. The smell of gunpowder.

Looking down at his pocket he saw that Rufus was looking around with him.

"Smell that Rufus?" He asked.

"Uh huh, uh huh." Rufus replied and leapt out of Ron's pocket to land on the floor and quickly following his nose he led Ron to a overturned floor lamp. The top of the lamp was gone and Ron could see burn marks on what was left. Bending low Ron sniffed at it and nodded his head. The lamp had burnt gunpowder on it. Conclusion? Someone had rigged some kind of homemade explosive in the lamp but for what reason Ron couldn't even guess at.

Shrugging Ron continued to the basement door and made his next surprising discovery.

There was a broken thumb lock on the door and door frame of the basement door. Someone had made the door where it could lock someone or something in the basement.

"This just gets weirder and weirder." Ron said looking down at his equally puzzled naked mole rat buddy. Picking up Rufus he slipped his buddy back into his pocket.

The stairs leading down into the basement were badly burnt and Ron decided he didn't want risk going down there if he didn't have to so he turned around and started following the burnt footsteps to the stairs and quietly made his way up.

Reaching the landing on the second floor he noticed the steps went to the nearest door to the stairs. Ron could hear someone moving around in that room and still wanting to avoid the police chief for a while longer he ignored that door and continued to the next room. He noticed something very odd about that door. Like for instance it had a sledgehammer hanging in front of it. Ron being careful not to touch the hammer examined it. Even if he wasn't trained in police procedures he had seen enough detective shows to know not to touch or handle evidence.

Nudging the door open Ron stuck his head and looked around. The room obviously belonged to a young woman.

The posters on the wall and the feminine touches clearly showed that.

Conclusion even if it didn't make any sense. That the room belonged to Nancy Thompson and for some reason she had rigged a trap at her door. A trap made to hit someone coming out of her room, not going in.

Entering the room Ron made his way to look out the window to across the street where Kim and Shego were in. He couldn't see anyone in the bedroom over there due to distance and the fact something seemed to be covering the windows over there. Remembering the crime scene photos Ron had a pretty good idea what it was covering the windows over there and that thought made him ill and leaving him with a intense desire to be with Kim and Shego.

Silently slipping out of Nancy's room Ron made to sneak past the mother's room and down the stairs and get out before Lt. Thompson could find out he had been inside.

Of course luck was not with him however and as he came along side the door to the room it opened to reveal a very annoyed looking Lt. Thompson staring back at him.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" He asked.

Ron thought quickly.

"Um, ah, yeah. Um, this is your house? I um..." Ron silently cursed himself. He could think quickly but he never could make his mouth work correctly when he tried to lie.

"I saw the broken down door from across the street and thought there might be some connection between this house and the one over there." He finally said without stumbling. It was enough of the truth without mentioning that the deputy had told him for him to say it without stumbling around.

Lt. Thompson looked Ron over for a moment and then said. "There is nothing here that has anything to do with what happened over there. Now let's get back to your wonder Possible and see if she has solved the case for me. Okay?"

The police chief then took Ron by the arm and almost physically dragged him down the stairs and back across the street. Ron noticed that the officer didn't even bother to try and close the broken door or secure the house in any manner.

Kim and Shego coming out of the house met Thompson and Ron near the patrol car. Kim frowned to see Thompson holding Ron by the arm.

"What's the meaning of this?" She asked pointing at Thompson's grip on Ron.

"Your sidekick instead of concentrating on the scene of the crime was over poking his nose into something that doesn't concern him." Thompson practically snarled at her.

Kim shot a questioning look at Ron but Ron merely gave her a look that she knew meant he would talk to her when they were alone.

"Where can I take you three now? Back to the station? Or did you already solve the case with clues my inept police department missed?" Lt. Thompson asked finally releasing Ron's arm.

Shego was the one to answer him. "You can take us to the nearest Bueno Nacho."

Kim turned to look at her like she was crazy and even Ron who never turned down a trip to Bueno Nacho looked at her as if she had sprouted another head.

"Look Kimmie, you have had a very big shock with what we had to face inside that room. The quickest way to get over something like that is with an activity that is perfectly normal. We haven't had anything to eat in a long time, you need the normalcy to help overcome the shock and we need to let these law enforcement officers get back to their duties." Shego raised one eyebrow trying to convey to Kim that she wanted a place where they could discuss what they had learned without the Springwood police listening in.

Kim picking up on Shego's signals nodded her head. "I suppose we should get something to eat and it would be unfair to make the police wait on us. You can just drop us off there and we'll find our way around town on our own."

Lt. Thompson gave a snort but then nodded his head. "Fine! I'll take you three to the nearest Bueno Nacho restaurant and after that you are on your own. You can explain to the mayor how you failed to come up with anything more than my police department did."

As they got into the car, Kim noticed that Ron seemed reluctant to ride in the backseat this time but eventually he got inside. She couldn't help but notice though that he sat bolt upright and wouldn't relax any.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As Ron made his way to the counter at Bueno Nacho after being dropped off by Officer Thompson and his deputy, Shego and Kim found a booth and slid into it on opposite sides. They weren't trying to make Ron choose which one to sit with and there was no animosity between Kim and Shego any more so it wasn't like they didn't want to sit beside each other.

It was more of a unspoken plan. As soon as Ron returned and chose which ever side he wanted to sit on, the one on the other side would get up and slide next to Ron. Thus trapping him between Kim and Shego.

Shego liked to think of it as the Ron sandwich special but she was careful not to say it out loud to keep from embarrassing Kim or Ron. Shego also had no illusions about who Ron would chose to sit by first. It was going to be Kimmie and Shego knew it.

Normally the thought that a man or woman Shego was interested in would pick someone else to sit with would have made her green with jealousy.

Shego suppressed a tired snicker on her part. She was always green but just not this time with jealousy. She knew Ron was hopelessly devoted to Kim and that didn't bother her because she knew the blond headed man was also in love with her as well.

That and it would be hard to be angry that Ron was devoted to Kim when Shego was starting to feel that way herself.

Closing her eyes for a moment Shego tried to relax and forget the horrific bedroom scene that her and Kim had so recently seen. She knew Kim would want to discuss it as soon as they finished eating but Shego was taking this moment to relax and try to forget it.

Hearing someone walk over to the table and then a thud as a tray was sat down on the table, Shego figured it was Ron bringing the food and opened her eyes to look at what he had picked for them to eat.

There was a large Naco shell filled with meat but it looked vastly different than what Shego was familiar with from the local Middletown Bueno Nacho. Instead of beans, cheese and hamburger meat this one seemed to be filled with chunks of white and pink bits of meat.

"They change your recipe Ronnie? This looks different." Shego asked as she raised a fork and picked at the contents of the fried Naco shell. Shego supposed the pink and white meat might be shrimp and chicken but she never heard of Bueno Nacho serving seafood before.

As the fork turned over the contents a small round object was revealed under the other bits and rolled to the edge of the Naco shell. Shego eyes grew wide as she realized it was the severed head of Rufus. In horror Shego realized that if the pink bits in the shell were Rufus's mangled body then the white parts could only be one thing. Rufus's owner who never went anywhere without his little buddy.

Shego turned to look at the person standing beside the table who had brought the hideous meal.

He was wearing a uniform that was splattered with blood but still recognizable as a Bueno Nacho uniform. A name tag on the shirt caught Shego's attention. It said simply. Hello my name is: Freddy.

It was his face that burned itself forever into Shego's mind. He looked like someone had held his head in the deep fryer for five minutes.

A voice like gravel came from the person. "Too Spicy for ya? You haven't even tried it yet. The naked mole rat is especially fine today but it is the extra special sauce of blond loser that sets it off the best." The man raised his right hand to his lips and made the Italian gesture of kissing his fingers and then lowering his hand showing that something tastes really good. The fact that the 'fingers' of his right hand was covered in some kind of leather and knife glove only made the gesture that much more horrific.

Shego, her hands already glowing with green plasma started coming up out of her seat to seek revenge on whoever the fried freak was who had killed her Ron and Rufus.

There was a lurching feeling and suddenly Shego found herself holding Ron by the collar of his shirt with her other hand glowing green fire about ready to take off his head.

Ron's eyes were wide and he was holding a tray of food.

Ron gulped once and then attempted to say in a joking manner. "You didn't want Diablo sauce with your Naco?"

Shego immediately released Ron's collar but didn't extinguish her plasma fire. "Where is he? Where is that fried face freak?" She growled and quickly scanned the crowd inside the restaurant.

Kim was sitting at the other side of the table looking at Shego as if she had lost her mind and the few other tables that had people sitting at them were looking over at her in shock.

Shego not seeing the burnt faced man turned back to look at Ron and seen that he had gone completely white.

Shego opened her mouth to explain herself but was stopped when Ron stuttered out. "You saw him too?"

"Shego! Turn off your glow and sit back down! You are attracting attention! And Ron sit down before you fall down. You look like you have seen a ghost. Shego didn't mean to threaten you with her powers again. She just had some kind of nightmare." Kim hissed at the two.

"Shego reluctantly turned off her plasma fire and sat back down. "Nightmare?" She asked Kim.

Kim nodded her head. "Yeah. You sat down when we came in here. Closed your eyes and the next thing I knew you had your head down on the table and were snoring." Kim had a stern look on her face that softened slightly. "You were so cute."

Shego snorted. "I'll take sultry. I'll take beautiful. I'll even take hot looking but I don't do cute."

Ron shakily sat down beside Kim and slid over next to her. Kim could see that Ron was still pale and his hands shook a little as he sat the tray down and moved it to the center of the table.

Shego stiffened in her seat and looked over at Ron. "Where's Rufus!" She asked suddenly.

A few seconds later Rufus appeared climbing up on the table from where he had obviously climbed out of Ron's pocket. "Hi!" The rodent said at Shego and gave a little wave before boldly diving into one of the Nacos on the tray and began eating.

Shego finally allowed herself to relax and getting up she crossed to the other side of the table and slid over next to Ron. As she drew herself closer to Ron she could feel him trembling slightly and felt a wave of guilt come over her. She had once again threatened Ron with her plasma powers even if she hadn't meant to.

"Ron I'm really sorry about..." She started.

"Did you see him too?" Ron asked once again.

"Seen who?" Kim asked looking first at Ron and then past him to where a suddenly pale Shego was sitting.

"He has a horribly burnt face." Ron began.

"And he wears on his right hand a glove made of leather with knife blades attached to it." Shego finished. Ron merely nodded.

Kim continued to look between her two lovers. "What are you two talking about?"

Ron seemed to shake himself out of some kind of daze. "There is something going on in this town. Something a lot worse than one really weird murder. You better call Wade and see if he can get us some information."

Kim after a moment nodded her head and pulled the Kimmunicator out and folding out a stand from its back she sat it on the table in front of them so they could all see and hear Wade.

"Wade? Are you there?" She called out as she pressed the talk button on the device.

The small screen lit up but instead of Wade sitting at his desk it showed a empty chair. In the background the group could hear the flushing of a toilet and a few moments later Wade walked over and sat down in his chair and peered out at Kim with a look that was a cross between disgust and annoyance.

"Kim, the next time you take a scan like that last one you did... Call me in advance so I can prepare myself. The visuals on my computer made me lose my lunch."

Kim had the decency to look apologetic. "Sorry Wade. It was pretty intense wasn't it? Just be glad that he Kimmunicator can't transmit smell."

Wade shuddered. "I can imagine." With another shudder he then added. "But I really don't want to."

"What did you find out from the scans?" Shego asked leaning forward.

Wade still wasn't used to Shego talking to him or being part of the team but after a moment he addressed her. "Not a whole lot I'm afraid. The computer agrees that there was far too much blood for that to have come from just one person... Or for that matter a dozen people either."

Wade's dark skin visibly paled. "The scans also show that there are bits of human flesh on the walls, ceiling and carpet of the room and they also come from multiple victims as well but since the computer could not detect any fragment larger than a postage stamp there isn't much hope for identifying who or where they came from."

Shego grimaced. "Well there goes any desire I had to eat anything." She then glanced over at the tray that contained their Nacos. Rufus had his small head up peering over the edge of one of the Naco shells at her.

"Rufus! Please don't do that!" She said with a shudder.

Rufus looked confused but then shrugged and went back to eating.

Wade peered at his screen at them. "Are you guys in a restaurant?" He asked in amazement.

Kim nodded. "We had to think of some place we could talk without being overheard by the sheriff of this town." Kim looked sideways at Ron. "I don't think Ron or Shego trust the guy."

Ron nodded his head. "If Wade doesn't have anything more to add about that bedroom I have some info to tell you all about lieutenant Thompson."

Ron had Kim, Shego and Wade's full attention now. He related to them his talk with the deputy and his sneaking over to look into Thompson's house and what he saw there.

Kim frowned as Ron stopped to take a drink from a soda on the tray. "But what has that got to do with the murder?"

"I'm getting there." Ron explained. "Nancy, that is Thompson's daughter's name by the way, told the police that someone named Freddy was trying to kill her mother. When Thompson and Nancy went upstairs to her mother's room, they were in there for a while and then Thompson came out and told sergeant Parker that his wife was missing and to file a report, he then took Nancy and no one in town has seen her since."

Shego's eyes grew wide when she heard the name Freddy. "That is the name of the guy in my nightmare. He had a name tag on that said his name was Freddy."

Kim looked past Ron to Shego. "It could just be a coincidence?"

"A coincidence that I dream of some guy with a burnt face that I've never seen before that just happens to be named the same name that the daughter of this town's head of police says was trying to kill her mother?"

Ron quickly related his dream in the patrol car to Kim, Shego and Wade.

At this point even Wade was nodding his head. "By your description he certainly sounds like the one in Shego's nightmare as well but what does that mean?"

Ron looked thoughtful. "That is what we need you for buddy. Can you do whatever it is you do to find information and see if you can find anything significant about the name Freddy? Also see what you can find out about Nancy Thompson and where she is right now."

Wade looked doubtful. "Well it should be easy enough to find information on Nancy Thompson but Freddy? It is kind of a common name and without a last name it might be difficult."

"He did have a burnt face. Maybe he was connected in some way to a fire in this town? That might help?" Shego added.

Kim looked between Ron and Shego and then Wade. "Don't you three think you are getting off the track here? We are here to investigate a murder. How can someone you two saw in brief dreams have anything to do with it? I mean its not like something in a dream can hurt you, right?"

"Actually Kim, many cultures believe that dreams can hurt you. The American Indians have legends of 'Dream Walkers' or medicine men that can enter the dreams of their enemies and kill them that way. The Chinese have stories of dream assassins as well." Wade stated.

"Wade. I don't think we are looking for some Chinese dream assassin or some kind of medicine man with a vendetta." Kim said angrily. "We deal with reality, and in reality these things don't happen."

Ron looked over at Kim and then shook his head. "Yeah. Reality. Like creatures from other dimensions wanting to hack people apart for their hearts or skin them alive."

Shego clutched briefly at her chest at the reminder of what nearly happened to her. "Or dead bodies that rise from lakes to kill anyone who gets too close to their private swimming holes." She added.

Kim's anger melted a little. "Okay granted some weird stuff has happened lately but still, dream killers?"

Ron frowned at Kim. "Kim! Something came out of a guy's mattress and dragged him down into it and killed him. How can you explain that?"

"Just because I can't explain something doesn't mean I have to search for answers in the Twilight Zone."

Ron and Shego both opened their mouths to argue with Kim further but was stopped by Wade on the Kimmunicator.

"Um guys? I found it."

All three turned to look at the communication device.

"Found what?" Kim asked.

"The information on Freddy."

"I thought you said that was a fairly common name. You found him by the burns didn't you?" Shego asked.

"Actually? No. I found him because both you and Ron mentioned the knife glove he wears. There is no reference to Freddy having been in a fire but I did find mention of a Frederick Charles Krueger. He was a suspected child molester/murderer who was known to use a knife glove like you and Ron describe. The search warrant that the arrest was based on wasn't signed properly so they had to release him and he disappeared not long afterwards..."

"So it could just be this Krueger guy doing the killings and not have anything to do with dreams at all." Kim stated triumphantly.

"Um... Well..." Wade said.

"What?"

"The thing is Kim, the murders and the arrest took place in 1990." Wade replies

Kim opened and shut her mouth a few times. "But that was 16 years ago. It can't be this guy. He would be, what? Around his 50's by now?"

"And it doesn't explain him being burned either." Shego points out.

"I'll keep digging for more information. But for right now I found the info Ron wanted on Nancy Thompson. She's been committed to the Westin Hills psychiatric hospital. Her father put her there the night he disappeared with her."

Ron turned to look at Shego. "Then I think we should go and see this Nancy Thompson. She might be able to shed some light on Freddy and what's going on in this town."

Kim folded her arms across her chest. "Ron I really think you and Shego are letting your imaginations run wild. We would be wasting valuable time going to some psychiatric hospital and seeing some girl that had a breakdown because her boyfriend was killed."

Ron glanced over at Kim. "Okay Kim. Then where do you think we should look for more clues?"

Kim opened her mouth but shut it without saying anything. She gave a desperate look at the Kimmunicator. Wade for his part helplessly shrugged. "Ron has a good point. We are at a dead end with the facts we have. Who knows? Maybe this Nancy does have some answers? At the very least she's lived in that town, she will at least have some idea who it could be that did the murder."

Kim sighed. She knew when she was beat. "Okay we'll go talk to Nancy Thompson."

Ron shot Shego a triumphant grin and she started to slide out of the booth to let Ron and Kim get out.

Some elderly customers were walking over towards their booth with the look of someone who thinks they see someone famous but isn't quite sure but are going to ask for a autograph on the off chance they were right in the first place.

"But I'm telling you..." Kim said to Ron and Shego. "I think we are wasting our time with this Freddy Krueger business."

The elderly couple's face turned white hearing that name and they quickly moved away from the trio without speaking. Kim noticed their actions and frowned. Looking around she spied some younger people looking at them curiously but the older crowd in the restaurant were backing away and leaving the place fast as if her group had suddenly gotten the plague.

Kim looked over at Shego and saw that the older people's reactions were not lost on her either.

"It may have been 16 years ago but obviously this Freddy person's name carries some unpleasant memories with it for the older people." Shego stated.

Kim nodded her head and reaching over picked up the Kimmunicator from the table. "Wade we'll need a ride to this Westin Hills place."

Wade looked thoughtful. "Um Kim you guys have never been to that town before so we don't have anyone in that town that owes you any favors."

Ron picked up a very full and very contented Rufus who had eaten all their food while they had been talking and carefully placed his little buddy back in his pants' pocket. He knew Rufus would probably go back to sleep now that he was full.

Shego sighed. "Look, just have Wade contact the local cab company and I'll pay for the cab ride out there."

Ron looked at her in confusion. "How do you have any money?"

"I don't. But I do still have this." Shego said with a grin as she pulled Dr. Director's Global Justice credit card from her pocket.

Kim frowned at her. "I thought Dr. Director told you not to abuse that card."

"I'm not! We are investigating a murder. That is what Global Justice is in the business to help stop, no? So I'm just using it to help Global Justice along." Shego replied innocently.

Kim let out a sigh and then looked at the Kimmunicator in her hands. "Wade? Just call us a cab if you will."

"Already did Kim. It should arrive in a few moments."

Kim frowned. She wasn't sure if she liked how quickly Wade was starting to take instructions or suggestions from Shego but she shrugged it off a moment later. Shego was now part of their group just like Ron was. It really didn't bother her that Wade was getting used to the green skinned woman, did it?

Author's notes:

I wanted to take a moment to explain a few things about this story. For the information on Freddy I've been using sources like the official Nightmare on Elm Street website and Wikipedia. I did move Freddy's arrest date forward a little to keep it current. The original NOES came out in 1984 so Freddy's arrest date reflected that time.

Since my story is a 'current' one I moved the date forward a little to better reflect that. Other than that I've tried to remain completely faithful to history and canon of NOES.

On reviews:

I have received outstandingly good reviews on this story and all my previous stories and I wanted to take a moment to let you all know that I really appreciate them. I know I don't acknowledge every one of them like some authors do and I want to assure you that is not because I don't read or appreciate them, I do. I just am really lousy when it comes to accepting compliments graciously.

But be assured, I read every review and take the suggestions and criticisms seriously.

On the length of time it takes me to update this story:

I'm honestly sorry about that. I am trying to update more often but in addition to real life which keeps me from writing as much as I would like, I also have an original story that I write and post in a blog for some of my friends online. It is called The Upheaval and if any of you are curious enough to hunt it down it is available on the www. website.

The art and graphics work on that journal isn't mine btw but the work of one of my very good online friends named Silence. She is also the reason I update that story more often as she tends to be violent and threaten me with bodily harm if I don't post often to that story.

(**waves at Silence if she ever reads this. I'm just kidding.)**


	5. Chapter 5

Dream Team

Chapter 5

Kim couldn't exactly explain why but when the taxi arrived she made sure that Ron sat on the far side of the back seat and she made sure she was next to him and Shego was on the opposite end. She wasn't jealous of how close Ron and Shego were getting, really she wasn't. It was just maybe she wanted to be the one in the middle for a change?

In any case Kim was feeling very tired so she allowed her eyes to close while Ron and Shego attempted small talk with the taxi driver as he drove them to the mental asylum that Nancy Thompson had been confined to.

Ron never being too tactful came right out and asked the cabbie if he had ever heard the name Freddy Krueger. The cab driver had glanced back at Ron through the rear view mirror and with a very thick Hindu accent had replied he had not lived very long in Springwood so he didn't know the people very well but that he was an excellent driver and would get them where they wanted to go.

Shego gave him the name of the mental hospital Westin Hills and asked if he knew where it was located. The man smiled at her through the mirror, nodded his head and repeated that he was an excellent driver and would get them where they wanted to go.

Shego looked over at Ron who just shrugged and settled back. All they could do was hope that their driver was an excellent driver and he would get them where they wanted to go.

With the gentle motion of the driving and the silence that descended after Ron's failed attempt of conversation with their driver, Kim felt herself start to drift off. She tried to hold it off, what with Ron and Shego's ridiculous theory that this Krueger person could somehow attack a person while they were asleep but she was tired.

Feeling a sudden jolt Kim opened her eyes to find the cab had stopped. Not only stopped but she was the only person now in the vehicle at all! The driver's compartment up front was empty and looking around she noticed that Ron and Shego were no where to be seen in the back with her either. Peering out the windows she could see that the cab was parked in a nearly empty parking lot with what looked like a hospital nearby. That is a hospital if hospitals had large bell towers in the center of them.

"Ooh! If Ron and Shego have left me behind while they went in to talk to this Nancy person alone I'll kill them!" Kim ranted out loud. She certainly would never actually harm either one of them but it made her better to say that out loud anyway.

"Don't worry darling. I'll be your new boyfriend now!" A gravely voiced called out in the empty car.

Looking widely around Kim spotted nobody but she did notice that the upholstery of the back seat which had been a plastic looking mock leather was now a red and green striped pattern that looked like a Christmas sweater she had once gotten from her Nana. As Kim was noticing this a arm tipped with finger knives grew out of the upholstery and impossibly wrapped itself several times around her waist and arms pinning her. Quickly turning her head she saw that she was no longer alone in the back seat but a horribly burned man was sitting beside her. It was his freakishly long arm that was wrapped around her.

Kim didn't freak out. She was well used to dealing with super freaks every day of her life. She merely raised an eyebrow. "I take it you are Freddy Krueger?"

Freddy's grin faded a bit at the way Kim was being nonplussed but he inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. "That's me sweet cheeks." He then ran a desiccated tongue over cracked and rotting teeth. Kim thought to herself if he was trying to scare her he wasn't succeeding but he was grossing her out.

"I'm not afraid of you." Kim told him defiantly.

Freddy seemed to consider for a moment. "Well it is more fun when they are scared but not a prerequisite."

Kim swallowed nervously when she saw the knife tipped glove hovering near her face and her eyes.

"Just think how terrified your little friends will be when you suddenly have no eyes sitting next to them." Freddy snickered.

As Freddy's arm, which was still wrapped around Kim's waist pining her arms, reared back like a cobra about to strike. Kim resisted the urge to close her eyes but couldn't stop the tear that appeared at the corner of her eye. At least Ron would have Shego to look after him after she was gone and to her surprise Kim was actually relieved by that fact. She would have hated dying knowing that it would leave Ron alone.

Suddenly a pink blur scrambled up Freddy's arm and latched it's teeth into Freddy's arm between the sweater and the edge of the glove, Rufus rode as the arm began to thrash about making it seem even more snakelike.

Freddy's eyes grew wide and with a yell his arm began to retract, rapidly unwinding around Kim.

Rufus let go and landed in Kim's lap.

Kim suddenly found herself free as Freddy clutched his now normal length knife glove hand with his other.

Now standing on Kim's leg Rufus bared his teeth at Freddy and angrily squeaked something out.

Kim wasn't certain what it was Rufus said but she had the feeling if she could have understood him she would have been tempted to wash his mouth out for using such foul language.

"Freaking little rat! I'll use your guts for bootlaces!" Freddy hissed and raised his finger knives to slash.

Suddenly Kim felt a strong warmth on either side of her. A sense of love and protection flooded into her. As Freddy's hand shot towards Rufus a barrier of green and blue sprang up around Kim and Rufus and Freddy's hand doubled up as if it slammed into a solid brick wall.

"Princess! Wake up! Don't you dare leave us!" Kim could hear faintly Shego's voice calling to her.

"KIM! Oh god! Kim wake up! Please!" Ron's also faint but frantic voice could be heard.

**scene change**

Ron riding in the taxi stifled a yawn with an effort. The sun was starting to go down and he was very tired but no matter how tired he was, he wasn't going to go to sleep while they were in Springwood. Glancing across he noticed Shego was as wide awake as he was, while Kim seemed to be nodding.

Reaching over he nudged Kim and Kim murmured that she was awake.

Turning he watched the scenery as the taxi left the city of Springwood and started out to the countryside.

"Westin Hills must be outside the city limits?" Ron mused.

"Not many people want a loony bin or a prison in their city." Shego agreed.

Ron turned to look over at her. "I don't think we should refer to it as a loony bin when we meet Nancy do you?" He asked jokingly. He suddenly stopped when he noticed Kim was sitting with her eyes closed and was sweating. As he watched she twitched as if struggling to be free of something.

"Shego!" Ron shouted.

"What?" Shego asked turning her attention away from the window she had been looking out of. As she turned she saw Kim. Reaching out she clutched the younger woman. "Princess! Wake up! Don't you dare leave us!"

Ron clutched desperately at Kim's other side. "KIM! Oh god! Kim wake up! Please!"

Kim with a mighty gasp woke up and looked wildly around. Finding herself once again back in the car with Shego and Ron she tried to slow her wildly beating heart but a sudden thought caused her to stiffen once again.

"Where's Rufus?" She asked turning to stare fully at Ron.

Ron blinked for a second and then reaching into his pants' pocket he pulled the naked mole rat out and seeing him with his eyes closed he gently shook him until he woke up. Rufus awoke with his teeth bared and for a moment Ron was reminded on how Shego had almost took his head off with her plasma fire as she awoke from one of Freddy's dreams.

"Easy buddy, easy! It's me! You are awake now."

Rufus's obvious fear disappeared and he ran up Ron's arm to wrap his tiny hands around Ron's neck in a hug before scampering over to Kim and hugged her. To Shego's surprise, he even ran over and hugged her as well.

"Well I take it you and Princess have both met Freddy too?" Shego asked unnecessarily.

Rufus now standing in her lap nodded his head and making a face he waved one of his tiny hands as if slashing something.

Kim's rational mind now that the nightmare was over with tried to reassert itself. She wanted to argue with Ron and Shego once again that Freddy wasn't real but she could still feel the memory of the pressure of his arm wrapped around her so she remained quiet and just wrapped her arms around herself and shivered.

"Its obvious now that Freddy knows who we are and is hunting us. We have to find someway to defeat him and quickly! We can't stay awake forever."

Shego looked down at her hands. "I can take him! I know I can. Whatever that freak can do he won't be able to stand up to my fire."

Kim shook her head at Shego. "No. That's a bad idea. We don't know if your plasma fire can work in dreams and it is more than likely that Freddy will just trick you into attacking Ron again like you almost did at the restaurant."

Shego frowned. "Then what do we do Princess?" Resorting to using her pet name for Kim the way she always does when upset or nervous.

"What happened in your dream Kim?" Ron asked.

Kim Possible shuddered slightly in remembrance but then began to relate how she had found herself pinned in the back seat alone and how Rufus had appeared and saved her from having her eyes cut out. She then told how Freddy had been about to slash Rufus when a bubble of green and blue light sprang up around them and Freddy's knife glove had bounced off of it.

"What caused the light?" Shego wondered.

Kim shrugged but then said. "I don't know but then I heard you and Ron's voice begging me to wake up."

"Rufus was able to enter your dream because both you and him were asleep at the same time. So far Freddy has only attacked us separately because we were never asleep at the same time before! Maybe if we all go to sleep at the same time we can join forces and fight him?" Ron asked.

Shego shook her head. "Maybe as a final solution if it comes down to it but speaking as a ex-villain, it is never a good idea to face your enemy on their turf. Who knows what he can really do in our dreams?" Shego said conveniently forgetting that just a few moments ago she was all ready to fight him alone in her dreams but she wasn't ready to risk Ron or Kim in the same manner.

The sound of the Kimmunicator went off startling everyone in the backseat of the cab. Pulling it out of her pocket Kim looked at it and said, "Go Wade. What have you got?"

Wade's face appeared on the screen and both Ron and Shego leaned towards Kim so they could all see him.

"I was doing some checking on Nancy Thompson and found something interesting that I thought you might like to see. It seems her mother checked her into the Katja Institute for Sleep Disorders about a week ago. I hacked into their files and found some footage they recorded of her during a sleep test."

Wade's image was replaced by footage of a young woman lying in a bed while some kind of doctor and a nurse attached electrodes all over her face.

This was the first time Team Possible had a chance to see Nancy Thompson and all three of them bent their heads over the Kimmunicator to get the best look they could. She appeared a normal enough looking young teen. Brown hair framed a attractive face, or what could be an attractive face if it wasn't for the fact that fear, worry and obvious lack of sleep were affecting her. She had dark rings under her eyes and it was obvious to all that she must not have slept in a very long time.

The group continued to watch as Nancy after a few moments fell asleep.

She looked fairly peaceful at first but then she started twitching as if running or fighting someone off.

Finally she awoke with a scream and the video camera recorded the doctor and what could only be the young woman's mother as they ran in to the view of the camera and tried to calm her down.

The tape had no sound but it was obvious that Nancy objected most strongly to the doctor's efforts to inject her with something. Most probably a sedative to try and put her back to sleep.

Suddenly the young woman reached under the sheets covering her and pulled out a old dusty looking hat.

Ron, Shego and Kim could see the obvious shock of recognition that crossed the mother's face at the hat and they didn't need sound to conclude her mother was demanding to know from her daughter where she had gotten the hat.

Wade's voice suddenly came over the Kimmunicator while the footage continued. "I had my computer do a lip recognition scan, a sort of lip reading by computer and the transcript says that Nancy told her mother she pulled the hat off the man attacking her in her dreams."

The footage ended.

"The records of Katja clinic show that Nancy's mother pulled her out after that incident." Wade's voice added as he came back on screen.

Shego shook her head in disbelief. "Is it possible to pull something from your dreams into the waking world?"

Wade on the screen shook his head as well. "I would have said absolutely not before this. I mean if you could grab a hold of something in your dreams and pull it out with you, I would have dozens of super models living with me." Wade's eyes grew wide as he realized what he had said and coughed and avoided looking at Kim, Ron and Shego as he typed at his computer.

Even with all the danger and fear going on about their situation, Kim felt a tiny smile tug at her lips. Wade was reaching the stage where he no longer thought girls were icky and was becoming interested in the opposite sex. She made a mental note that when they got home to make sure she never left the Kimmunicator out in the open when her, Ron and Shego had another one of their 'parties'. Wade maybe entering puberty but Kim was damn sure her and Shego weren't going to help him with it. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ron was nodding his head.

"And I would have hundreds of Kim and Shego clones living with me already." Ron muttered to himself. He had hoped that it was low enough that Kim or Shego hadn't heard him but a glance to the side revealed Kim frowning at him and Shego smiling.

In an attempt to get the images of dozens of Shegos and Kims from his dreams, Ron concentrated on what they had seen of the Katja video footage. Suddenly his eyes grew wide.

"That's it! That's what all those traps were in the Thompson household for!"

Kim and Shego looked over at Ron is shock and Ron could even see Wade looking at him curiously from the Kimmunicator screen.

"Nancy pulled Krueger's hat off when he attacked her in that dream at Katja, right?"

Kim and Shego could only nod. It certainly looked like that was what had happened.

Kim's eyes grew wide as she too followed Ron's reasoning.

"Nancy's mother took her back home and put up security bars around the windows and doors so she couldn't rely on help from the outside so..."

Shego contiuned. "She planted booby traps in her house and then went to sleep and when Krueger attacked her she grabbed a hold of him and somehow forced herself awake pulling Krueger out of the dream world into ours!" Shego blinked. "But what happened then? Why didn't her booby traps take Krueger out and how did he get back into the dream world again?"

Ron shrugged. "I guess we'll have to ask Nancy that ourselves."

Feeling the taxi pull to a stop Kim looked around and noticed they were in a nearly empty parking lot. The sun was starting to set and the lengthening shadows cast an ominous gloom over everything. She could just make out a sign that said Westin Hills on it. It would seem that their taxi driver was an excellent driver and had gotten them to their destination. That the parking lot looked a awful like the one in her dream made Kim shiver slightly but the presence of Ron and Shego on either side of her comforted her.

Shego looked at the frankly spooky looking place. "Let's just hope Nancy can answer our questions. She is after all been locked up by her father in a mental asylum. Maybe Krueger drove her around the bend?"


	6. Chapter 6

Dream Team

chapter 6

Kim looked at the foreboding structure of the mental hospital with some apprehension. Being the daughter of a world famous neurosurgeon you would be forgiven for assuming she must well be used to such places and be at ease in them. But she wasn't and never was.

Hospitals of any type made her nervous and uneasy.

And this place was one of the worst Kim had ever experienced.

Some hospitals went in for calming paint schemes and comforting floral arrangements near the front entrances. Not this place.

It was cold. It was decidedly unfriendly looking and a bell tower rising slightly off center from one wing of the hospital only made it seem somehow ominous and accusing to Kim. As if the stone 'finger' reaching up towards the sky was making a rude gesture at the heavens above.

Ron had moved slightly forward of the group, no doubt to chivalrously open the front entrance doors for the ladies in his life and without Ron right by her side Kim felt even more nervous. Trying to shake her unease she glanced over at Shego walking beside her.

Kim was shocked at the look on Shego's face. Shego's light olive colored skin had paled to a sickly looking light mint color and she was trembling.

"Shego?" Kim called out. This drew Ron's attention who stopped just in front of the doors and turned to look back at the women.

Shego seemingly lost in her own world would have continued to walk forward and may have even walked into the doors if Kim had not reached out a hand an placed it on her arm when she called out.

Shego glanced up sharply at Kim and then with a slight jerking motion she looked over at Ron. "I'm fine!" She snapped.

Ron frowned as he noticed the stiff jerky movements and Shego's wild staring eyes. Far too much of the white of Shego's eyes were showing and her movements reminded Ron of a desperate animal struggling to not make a break and run for it's freedom.

Folding his arms he spoke. "What's wrong Shego?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. Let's get this over with." Shego snapped.

Kim could see Ron had on what he called his 'serious face' and made no motion to move out of Shego's way or to open the doors they were now standing in front of. Shego matched his serious expression with a glare of her own for a few moments before she dropped her head and sighed.

"I'm not overly fond of hospitals, okay?" Shego stated in slightly more than a whisper. Slightly louder she added. "And we're wasting time! That Krueger person could be hurting someone else while we waste time so let's get it in gear!"

Ron's serious face grew even more serious. "You know what? I don't care."

Both Kim and Shego glanced up in surprise at his declaration. But before they could ask for an explanation he began talking again.

"Someone I care deeply about is obviously hurting and I want to know why and what I can do about it." Ron stated firmly.

Shego's voice dropped back to barely above a whisper. "It happened a long time ago and there is nothing you can do about it now Ronnie. Just drop it okay?" She asked tilting her head slightly to the side to glance over at him from the corner of an eye. But to her annoyance she noticed he did not move or drop his arms from their crossed position over his chest.

Shego sighed once again but then with a half shrug she began to explain.

"When the meteor that gave me and my brothers our powers crashed into our home, it didn't give us our powers immediately. I mean it wasn't one moment we were normal people living normal little lives and the next we were super heroes. The effects were gradual in revealing themselves." Shego grimaced. "Well except for my weird skin color. That was immediate. When they pulled us out of the wreckage of the tree house that me and my brothers were in, that was evident. For the longest time I had to fight to try and convince the rescue team that I hadn't somehow dyed my skin this color and it was some kind of reaction to accident.

Weeks after the..." Shego swallowed. "Meteor that killed our parents, I was back in school. Some lame social worker thought that was the way to help us kids to get over the deaths of our parents. Hego was old enough the state was considering letting him raise the rest of us rather than break up our family and scattering us in foster homes."

Kim placed an arm around Shego's waist and gave her a semi-hug. Shego didn't acknowledge the hug but continued to stare forward at the ground as she was lost in her memories. "The children at school, even though they knew that I had lost my parents kept teasing me about my new skin color. They were cruel and merciless. I tried to ignore them but one day after being picked on constantly by this perfect cheerleader queen bee of our school I lost my cool." Shego gave a half laugh that instead of sounding mirthful was more anguished than anything else. "I lost my cool." She repeated. "Literally. My plasma powers kicked in for the very first time. The 'queen bee' was badly burned." Shego gave a shrug. "I didn't even mean for her to be hurt. I just wanted her to leave me alone."

Shego glanced up at Ron and Kim. "Okay, long story short. The school didn't believe my explanation of strange green flames bursting from my hands. They thought I somehow had burned the cheerleader using normal means, so they tossed me into a mental ward to 'help me through my arson ways.' And that's it!"

Ron unfolded his arms and reaching out he placed them on Shego's shoulder. Managing to draw her gaze up to his he stared into her eyes for a moment. "There's more to it than that isn't there? What happened in the hospital?"

Shego's eyes grew wide in alarm. Why did Ron have to be so damn empathic and be able to see into her soul, into what she was desperately trying to hide?

She could have easily broken Ron and Kim's grasp of her and brushed past them. Or she could have let her plasma flare, just the tiniest bit to make them let go of her, but she knew either way Ron and Kim would have been hurt and not physically but emotionally. She could lose their trust. She might just lose their respect. Possibly she could even lose their companionship and love and for once in her life Shego wanted to hold on to that more than she ever wanted anything in her life.

"I was about Kim's age when this happened." Shego said as she stare at Ron's chest rather than look into his eyes. "Even with my funky weird colored skin I was still fairly attractive and because the hospital thought I was violent, maybe even suicidal they kept me restrained to my bed." Shego grimaced.

"There was an intern in the hospital. Evidently he thought a pretty young girl tied to a bed was an open invitation..." Shego hearing a growl glanced up and saw Ron's eyes glowing blue.

"Calm down Ronnie. It was a long time ago and he got a surprise anyway. The first time he felt me up I was scared and shocked but a doctor was making his rounds so that was the only thing the guy tried.

I tried to tell anyone who would listen what happened but they wouldn't believe a nutjob's word over an intern's. The second night he came into my room he planned..." Shego swallowed. "Well he planned on doing more than just a quick feel up but my plasma powers kicked in." Shego allowed just the slightest of smirks to appear on her face. "He told me that night I would warm up to him in the end. He just didn't know how warm I could be." The smirk disappeared a moment later. "Anyway, after that incident and my powers coming through more and more often they had to accept I hadn't been lying about the accidental student fire and they had to let me go. But that is why hospitals make me uneasy."

The glow around Ron's eyes didn't diminish any. "Do you remember what that intern's name was?" He asked in a far too casual voice.

Shego actually smiled. "No, and I wouldn't tell you even if I did remember. You don't need to go around and beat up on all the people who treated me like trash when I was growing up."

The glow in Ron's eyes started to fade slightly.

"But just the fact that you are willing to means a lot to me." Shego added and grabbing a hold of his arms she pulled him to her and kissed him deeply. "Okay lets get in there and talk to this Nancy person and figure out a way to stop Krueger." She said as she side stepped around Ron who now had a goofy smile on his face from her kiss. Shego heard Kim whispering to Ron. "We'll have Wade find out who that intern was and we'll look him up and both have a few 'words' with him later."

"Princess." Shego said in a warning tone as she turned to look back at her and Ron. "You two are not going to go around strong arming people on my account. You'll have Dr. Director thinking I'm bad influence."

Ron raced up the last few steps to stand beside Shego and opened the glass door for them. "Ladies first."

Shego with a final deep breath nodded her head and stepped into the lobby of the mental hospital, with Kim a few paces behind her.

The cold, gray building wasn't much cozier inside than it was outside. A short worn out carpeted hallway lead to a large receptionist desk behind which a woman dressed in a nurse's outfit was filing her nails. The nurse had short dirty blond looking hair, an overly developed chest that was barely covered by a straining nurse's blouse and a look of utter boredom on her face.

For just a brief moment Shego felt a moment of nostalgia remembering her times with Dr. Drakken when she used to be bored out of her mind and would be filing her nails the same way.

The nurse glanced up and then did a double take as she rose to her feet.

"Aren't you?..." She asked and Shego readied herself to once again explain she was no longer the wanted criminal that 60 minutes had done an expose on. "Kim Possible?" The nurse finished and Shego felt oddly slighted that the woman had recognized Kim and not her.

"Have we met?" Kim asked.

"Um, no not personally. You saved my sister's Chinchilla ranch a year ago from a flood. You remember? It was in Wisconsin."

Shego turned slightly to glance at Ron who was bringing up the rear. "A Chinchilla ranch in Wisconsin?" She mouthed to him.

Ron just grinned and gave a shrug.

"Oh yeah! I remember that." Kim replied for her and Ron. "Ron and Rufus herded the Chinchillas out of danger while I used a hubcap from a truck to cause a rock slide and block the flood redirecting it to a empty field where it was harmless."

Shego continued to stare at Ron and silently mouthed. "A hubcap?"

Ron in a low voice explained to her that Kim threw it like a chakram like that warrior woman from a certain tv series used to do.

Kim gave a slight smile. "I have many talents."

"And you two did this all the time between the times you stopped Dr. Drakken and me?" Shego quietly asked Ron.

Ron gave another sheepish shrug.

The nurse finally took notice of the whispering Ron and Shego. "My sister never mentioned you." She said pointing at Ron.

"I couldn't have done it without Ron and Rufus." Kim quickly said.

"Yeah my sister mentioned the mole rat Rufus. She just never mentioned him."

Ron quietly sighed before looking down at his pocket. "Hey Rufus? Someone remembered you this time."

Rufus stuck his head up out of the flap of Ron's pocket and grinned at the receptionist and threw her a thumbs up before ducking back down in the pocket.

The woman smiled at Rufus and then took a good look at Shego. She stepped back slightly. "Aren't you that criminal?"

Shego gave one of her best smiles. "No. But I get told I look like her all the time."

The nurse blinked but then replied in a offhanded way. "It must be terrible to look like someone who is scum of the earth."

Shego's eyes widened slightly and she curled her hands into fists. It took all her restraint not to fire up her plasma energy and toast the woman before her. The old Shego wouldn't have hesitated but the Shego who was now partners with Ron and Kim just gritted her teeth.

After all she really couldn't deny what the woman was saying. She had been close to scum with some of the things she had done in her past.

Shego relaxed slightly as she felt Ron's arm as he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"What can I do for you Miss Possible?" The nurse said dismissing Shego and turning her attention back to the famous heroine in front of her.

"We would like to visit Nancy Thompson."

"Are you friends of the family?" The nurse asked reaching down to her desk and picking up a clipboard. Ron noted that the clipboard had nothing on it and figured the woman was just using it as a prop to look official.

"Well, not really friends of the family..." Kim began.

"We're more just friends of Nancy." Shego inserted.

The nurse frowned slightly and looked over at Shego and Ron.

"Yeah, that's right. Friends of Nancy." Ron said a little too fast. Shego inwardly grimaced. She had to work on that boy's lying abilities.

As if sensing Shego's frustration with him, Ron a little slower and more calmly added. "Kim and Mr. Thompson don't get along too well. Must be the heroine vs police officer thing. Kim gets that a lot from law enforcement people. They think she should just leave everything to them and Kim thinks it is up to everyone to try and do what they can to make this a better world."

The nurse's frown disappeared to be replaced with a sympathetic smile towards Kim. "I understand. Well then I'll just let you visit with Nancy and we won't tell Officer Thompson about it. He's been very tense with what has happened lately, no sense in upsetting him any more than we have to is there?"

Kim managed a smile. "Oh I agree totally. No sense upsetting him with our just dropping by for a brief visit with Nancy."

The nurse nodded and gestured for them to follow her. "We do ask that you try not to mention any of the unpleasant things that have happened recently. We are trying to keep Nancy calm and help her deal with the mysterious and horrific death of her boyfriend."

Kim nodded even though the nurse was in the lead and not looking at her. Behind Kim, Shego and Ron walked side by side. Shego casting nervous glances at the doors as they passed them. She couldn't but help wonder what the rooms were like. Would they be the stereotypical padded walls that you see in the movies about insane asylums or would they be like the hospital she had been confined in as a teenager? Cold sterile room with a hospital bed in the center of the room with a person strapped down just waiting for someone, anyone to come in and...

Shego shuddered violently and felt Ron's arm tighten around her waist once again.

"Ah. Here we go. Room 101. Nancy is inside. I can give you about ten minutes but then you'll have to leave. If you had gotten here earlier you could have visited longer but as it is visitor hours are almost over with." The nurse stated.

Kim was worried that the nurse planned to listen in on their conversation with Nancy Thompson and how could they explain what they had to discuss but to her immense relief the nurse nodded at her and then turned to go back to her desk.

Taking a deep breath Kim turned the doorknob and pushed open the door.

To Kim's surprise and Shego's relief the room turned out to look almost like a hotel room. There were no padded walls and while no one could claim the room was 'homey' it wasn't as sparse or sterile as Shego had feared it would be. The young woman in the room wasn't tied to a hospital bed but instead was sitting propped up in what looked like a normal looking bed. A side table with a lamp was sitting next to the bed and in the far corner of the room a old fashion looking TV was sitting.

Kim, Ron and Shego instantly recognized Nancy from the sleep clinic video even though she now had a gray stripe in her hair.

Nancy blinked at them a few times.

"I know you." She finally said. "You are Kim Possible."

Kim nodded and turned to introduce her friends.

"And you are Ron Stoppable aren't you?" Nancy asked looking over at Ron.

Ron was nearly speechless. Finally he replied. "Booyah! Someone finally remembered my name!"

"Well of course I remember your name. You were on the news with Kim a while back for stopping some little guy's plan to brainwash people into making him emperor." Nancy replied.

"Professor Dementor. I remember that mission." Ron replied. "Dementor created some kind of juice that made dogs bite and through their bites they passed on a chemical that made people obey."

Nancy looked curiously at him. "How did Kim and you stop him?"

Ron gave a half shrug. "The juice smelled and tasted so foul Dementor had a hard time getting dogs to drink it. He was using henchmen to try and force them to drink it. Me and Kim just dropped in and opened the cages and the dogs instantly turned on him and his henchmen."

"It was no big." Kim added.

Nancy glanced over at Shego and looked puzzled. "I'm sorry but I don't know you."

For once on this trip Shego was pleasantly surprised. "The name is Shego. You haven't heard of me?"

Nancy shook her head. "The name sounds familiar but I can't place it. I'm pleased to meet you all but why are you here to see me?"

"I think you know why." Shego stated.

Kim moved closer to Nancy's bed to try explain.

But Nancy's eyes narrowed as she studied them all for a moment. "You've seen him, haven't you?"

Kim wanted to say, 'seen who?' She wasn't going to lie to the young woman but she wanted to ease into it. After all Nancy was in a mental ward! She didn't want to drive the poor girl over the edge but before she could reply Ron was already nodding his head.

Nancy's head drooped and for a moment Kim was afraid she was going to start crying.

"I knew when they told me that I was dreaming and it never happened they were lying." Nancy muttered to herself but they all heard her.

Shego hurried to the bed and practically pushed Kim out of the way. "I don't want to be insensitive but that Freddy guy has shown up in all our dreams." She said gesturing at Kim and Ron as well as herself. "We have to figure out someway to stop him before someone else is killed."

Nancy with tears in her eyes shook her head. "I don't know how to stop him! I thought I had figured it out. Draw him out of the dreamworld into our world and capture him but it didn't work!"

Kim nudged Shego out of the way. "What happened that night. We need to know. Maybe we can figure out something."

Nancy turned her face in their direction but it was obvious from her eyes she was miles away. "I made plans with Glen. I was to sleep and find Freddy in the dreamworld and grab hold of him and Glen was going to wake me up allowing me to drag Freddy into our world..."

"But Freddy killed Glen before you went after him." Shego stated.

Nancy eyes reflected pure agony but she nodded her head. "It was at that point I knew it was all or nothing. If I succeeded Freddy would be dead or captured and if I lost? Well I knew what that meant."

Shego pointedly looked around the room. "Again I don't want to seem cruel but why didn't it? I mean Freddy escaped from you and you are still alive. Why?"

"Shego." Kim said in a little annoyance.

Nancy for her part merely glanced up and gave a helpless shrug. "I can only tell you what happened that night. I did manage to pull Freddy from the dreamworld into ours. After struggling with him briefly I managed to run downstairs and lead Freddy to some booby traps I had set up for him. They worked but only made Freddy madder. I tricked him down to the basement where I set fire to him and then escaped. I locked him in the basement and called for help."

Nancy was quiet for a moment.

Ron continued where she left off. "I talked to one of your father's deputies. He says they broke down your front door and found the basement on fire. He also tells me that there were flaming footsteps leading back upstairs."

Nancy sadly nodded. "I ran upstairs following them with my father at my side. When we reached my mother's room we could see someone was under the covers. Pulling them off we saw a burnt skeleton of my mother slowly sinking down into the mattress..." Nancy stopped and began sobbing.

Ron's eyes grew wide. "I understand now. A sleeping Nancy pulled Krueger out of the dreamworld by holding on to him when she woke herself up, so to get back to the dreamworld Freddy had to find someone asleep and use them as a gateway back."

Nancy looked up sharply at him in horror. "Are you saying that it is my fault my mother died?"

Ron stepped back. "Um, no. I was just saying I understand how Freddy crosses back and forth..."

"Take it easy on Ron! Its not his fault that Freddy killed your mother!" Shego leapt to Ron's defense.

Kim placed a hand on Nancy's arm. "Its not your fault either." She told Nancy. "Freddy can jump between people's dreams as easily as we can cross a room. What makes you think he wasn't going to kill your mother sooner or later anyway? Who knows why or how he picks his victims?"

"I know." Nancy quietly said. "My mother explained it to me, although at the time she didn't realize it. You see Krueger was a child molester / murderer several years back. Due to some legal foul up the courts released him..."

Kim wanted to tell Nancy that they found that out but before she could Nancy continued.

"My mother told me that the parents of the children dead and those that had children living chased Krueger down to an abandoned factory where he took his victims. There they burned him to death."

Shego stared at her. "Are you sure they burned him to death? I mean how can he come back, even if it is just in dreams if he is dead?"

Nancy nodded her head. "My mother showed me in our furnace at home, she had his knife glove. She took it from the body herself."

"This is just getting too weird." Ron muttered. Sticking his head out of Ron's pocket Rufus nodded his little head and squeaked "Weird."

"Okay." Kim said as if trying to get back on track. "If Krueger figured out someway to come back from the dead to seek revenge, why not attack the parents that killed him? Why pick on their kids?"

"Because he's a sick fu..." Shego started to reply.

"Shego!" Kim snapped. "Not helpful." To herself Kim muttered. "Even if it is true." To Nancy, Kim said. "You were explaining what happened that night. You saw Krueger take your mother. What happened next?"

"My dad stepped out of the room and I started to when I could sense Krueger behind me. Without turning around I told him I knew I was dreaming and I was taking his power over me back and I wanted my mother and my friends back. I heard Krueger yell but when I turned around he was gone. I thought I had won. I went outside the bedroom and my father rushed me to his car. We drove here and they gave me an injection even though I fought against it.

Suddenly I found myself back at home with my mother and we were talking about how well we slept. Mom said she was going to give up drinking. My friends arrived in a beat up convertible with the top down. I got in and the top started to close on the car. It was this ugly red and green stripe pattern."

Kim's eyes grew wide as she remembered the upholstery in the cab as Nancy continued with her tale.

"The car started to drive off as I freaked out and beat on the window. The rest of my friends in the car were doing the same. Just as we were almost out of sight I saw Krueger's arm come through the door of my house and pull my mother inside.

I started screaming and screaming and suddenly woke in this bed."

"But that was a few days ago. Hasn't Krueger attacked you since then? Surely you have slept since then?" Shego asked her.

Nancy shook her head. "After that last nightmare the staff here started giving me a drug called Hypnocil."

Kim already had the Kimmunicator out. "Wade?"

"Got it. Hypnocil is a new experimental drug that suppresses the brain's ability to dream. Its very cutting edge. Only a few places in the entire world are experimenting using it to help people suffering from 'night terrors'."

"Well now at least we know why Nancy is still alive. If she can't dream, Krueger can't get to her." Shego stated.

Ron smacked his hand with his fist. "That's how we'll beat Krueger. We can just get everyone to take this Hyposilly and poof no problem!"

"Ron that won't work." Wade stated. "Hypnocil is extremely rare and hard to get. I doubt if that institute you are in has more than what they are giving their patients and even if we could get a ready supply of it, how would you convince everyone in the world to take it? As far as we know if there is only one dreaming person in the world Krueger can use them as a gateway."

Ron visibly deflated.

"Well we're right back where we started." Shego said folding her arms across her chest. "We now know a bit more than we did but we're still no closer to stopping this Krueger character." Shego reached out and pulled Kim's arm holding the Kimmunicator so she could look at Wade on the screen. "Any ideas Genius?"

Wade frowned but had to shake his head no. "A burnt dead killer coming back in dreams? I don't think modern science is equipped to handle something like this."

"Then that leaves the mystical world." Shego said. Together with Kim they both looked over at Ron.

Ron glanced behind him and then looked down at Rufus. "Are they talking about us?"

Rufus shrugged.

"You're the one with the mystical monkey power thing." Shego stated. "Anyway it can help?"

Ron started to shake his head no when he suddenly paused. "Um, maybe. I need to meditate to see."

Kim immediately looked nervous. "Are you crazy?"

"Now Kim meditation is not like sleeping. They are totally different. At least that is what Sensei used to tell me all the time back in Japan."

"Sensei? Japan?" Shego asked looking at Kim.

"We'll explain it later." Kim replied distractedly. To Ron she said. "Are you sure Ron? Krueger can't get to you if you are just meditating?"

"Absolutely positive." Ron stated confidently. "Well, nearly positive." He added a moment later less confident. "I don't think so?" He finally said in a half question.

Kim was already shaking her head no and opening her mouth to tell Ron so in no uncertain terms that he wasn't going to even attempt it.

"What else can we do Kim? Wait around till we literally pass out from lack of sleep and are totally helpless? If I can find the answers we need in meditation then we would be fools to not at least try!"

Frowning Kim finally replied. "Okay Ron, but if you so much as look as you are in trouble I'm waking you up no matter what it takes."

"If you are going to do this you better hurry Ronnie. The nurse is due back any minute to escort us out." Shego reminded him.

Ron nodded his head and taking a cross legged seat against one wall he closed his eyes and began to concentrate on his breathing like his Sensei taught him to do.


	7. Chapter 7

Even though Ron knew he was sitting cross-legged in hospital room, in the meditative state it felt like he was standing up and he could feel a breeze ruffle his hair. Opening his mental 'eyes' Ron found himself once again standing on a familiar mountain top, a short distance away the Mystical Monkey who preferred for Ron to simply call him M.M. was sitting patiently waiting.

Rushing over Ron quickly sat down in front of the ancient monkey. "I really need your help M.M.!"

Ron was stopped as the Mystical Monkey raised a hand forestalling him and with the other hand pulled out a teapot from behind him. Two cups suddenly appeared sitting on the grass between them and M.M. poured tea into the cups.

Ron looked around nervously. "I really don't have time for this M.M., I've got a big problem…."

"You need not fear. Krueger cannot enter here. We are quite safe."

"I knew I was right! Meditating is not like dreaming!" Ron shouted in triumph. "Wait! You know about Krueger?!" Ron looked at M.M. in shock.

The monkey calmly handed a teacup to Ron. "Of course, even though it appears we are on a mountain top it does not mean we have physically moved. This is all a part of your mind Ron, the mystic monkey power is a part of you, not separate and I am a part of the power, your guide. What you know, I know."

Ron scratched his head. "Why then do I not know what you know?"

The wise old monkey reached over and patted Ron's hand. "You will someday. When you are ready."

Ron in confusion sipped his tea. The fact the tea hitting his tongue wasn't really tea and it wasn't really hitting his tongue but he was just inside his own mind thinking he was having an impromptu tea party with a monkey that wasn't really there but merely a part of his own mind, while a scarred maniac who was in reality nothing more than a bad dream was waiting to kill him as soon as he went to sleep, well all of it was enough to give Ron a headache if he thought about it too much. Fortunately, Ron was adept at not thinking about anything too much. Glancing down at his lap he saw that Rufus had crossed over to the meditative world with him and was looking as confused as he felt.

"Um, do you think I could get a Naco with this tea?" Ron asked.

"Hmmm Nacos!" Rufus mirrored Ron

Seeing M.M.'s eyebrow twitch Ron decided he better get back to what he was there for. "Ah. What can you tell me about Krueger?"

The monkey sipped his own tea for a moment before answering. "When the world was new there were many beings and creatures you humans would call supernatural. Some were almost gods and some were more like demons. The ones that matter to us at this moment were the Dreaming Gods."

"You mean they slept all the time? Wouldn't that make them the Slacker Gods?" Ron asked.

"The gods themselves were not dreaming Ron. Their powers lie in the dream realm." M.M. raised a hand to forestall Ron's next question. "The dream realm is a very real dimension. Humans when they sleep have their minds cross over to this realm and experience it but only as an ephemeral memory…"

Ron raised his hand.

"Ephemeral means brief or fleeting and leaving no lasting impact." M.M. replied without waiting for Ron to ask his question.

Ron mumbled to himself. "If he knows what I know, why does he insist on using words I have no idea of their meanings?"

Rufus shrugged showing he didn't know either.

Ron blinked as a thought hit him. "Wait! You mean our minds actually cross over into another world when we dream?"

The monkey nodded its head. "Exactly but only as thoughts, so what a dreaming human experiences does not affect their sleeping bodies. The Dream Realm is a realm of thought and energy and human minds even sleeping can affect and control what happens there but only to a point. Now in the early ages of the Earth there came here six gods. Three were white guardians of dreams. They are the ones that nudge and help dreaming minds to have pleasant dreams."

"Why do I feel that the other three Dreaming Gods weren't that concerned with humans having pleasant sleeps?" Ron asked rhetorically.

The Mystical Monkey nodded his head again. "You are quite correct. The other three were known as the Nightmare Gods. They tormented sleeping humans with horrifying images and went out of their way to try and disrupt the healing sleep of humans."

"What has this to do with Krueger?" Ron asked with a sinking feeling he already knew.

"The gods were and are limited in what they can do. Three vs three, what the Nightmare Gods attempted to do were countered by the pleasant dream gods resulting in constant stalemates. So the gods decided on a rather risky scheme. They agreed among themselves they would pick champions to 'fight' the dream battles for the gods. The pleasant dreaming gods chose to spread their power out to many such champions. While this helped to insure the power was spread over a vast area to help as many dreamers as possible, it also thinned the power so the dreaming champions could only nudge or gently influence other dreamers to more pleasant dreams." Mystical Monkey frowned and Ron once again had a pretty good idea where this was going next.

"The Nightmare Gods decided to find one person to place all their evil disruptive powers into, thus making a Dream Master. One who could control and make nightmares more than just unpleasant dreams. One who with enough effort could actually make dreams destructive to the bodies of the dreamers as well as their minds but only for a few at a time."

"Freddy Krueger." Ron stated.

Mystical Monkey inclined his head in agreement.

"Wait. Freddy was killed and only showed up in people's nightmares a short time ago; you said these gods have been basically playing games with dreaming minds since the earth was young. What happened to the previous Dream Masters?"

M.M. smiled at Ron pleased to see he was actively seeking a solution to the problem and wasn't just waiting for M.M. to hand it to him. "In some cases the pleasant dream champions joined forces to fight the Dream Master off. There were the rare cases where the evil Dream Masters allowed themselves to be pulled from the Dream Realm by their victims and once in the real world were easily destroyed. A few failed to slip out of their victims' minds before they were driven insane or died."

"Huh? You lost me." Ron stated.

M.M. sighed. "Look Ron you are aware that you can reach out in meditation and seek the Sensei's advice even though he is at Yamaguchi, correct?"

"Yeah." Ron answered but not too assuredly.

"Where does this meeting of the minds take place?" M.M. prompted.

"In meditations." Ron promptly answered.

"Yes, but in whose mind? Yours? Sensei's?"

Ron opened and shut his mouth a few times in confusion. "I never really thought about it before. Since I'm pretty sure I can't do the whole mystical mind journey thingy I would guess the Sensei's mind reaches into mine and pulls me into his mind to talk?"

The monkey frowned. "You never give yourself enough credit, but in this case you are not too far off. The Sensei is the one to initiate the contact and he does do it by, as you put it, reaching into your mind but from that part on you meet as equals in a meditative realm. Not too dissimilar from the dream world actually. The point I wish to make though is, what would happen if the Sensei was to pull you into his mind and something at that point happened to him, such as a sudden death?"

Ron wasn't really comfortable thinking about the Sensei dying. The old grandfatherly man was sprier than most people Ron knew but Ron was pretty sure the guy was older than anyone he had ever met before too. "I guess my mind would be spit out at the point of his death?"

The ancient monkey slowly shook his head. "No. You would be as dead as the Sensei."

"_Well that is a real downer thought."_ Ron silently thought to himself. Ron tried to figure out why M.M. felt it necessary to tell him that and what it had to do with what they were talking about earlier. "Ohhh! I get it. You mean some of the previous dark Dream Masters allowed themselves to get too close to their victims so when they died instead of the victim being inside the Dream Master's mind, they had actually allowed themselves to cross over into their victim's mind so the victim's death killed them as well!" Ron looked triumphant for a moment but then confused. "Did that make any sense?"

The mystical monkey looked pleased. "Yes, you understand correctly, although it didn't always end in death. Sometimes the victim would be driven insane and the Dream Master would find himself locked inside the broken mind of his victim."

"But how would someone like a Dream Master be pulled into his victim's mind without realizing it? I mean the title Dream Master kind of implies that he knows the ropes pretty good. "

"The power of the pleasant dreaming gods, remember? Their power isn't violent or controlling as the Nightmare Gods. Their power works by gently nudging someone into more pleasant dreams. So the Dream Master would attack someone in the dream world and one of the guardians of pleasant dreams upon seeing the poor victim was going to die anyway, would nudge the Dream Master so slightly they didn't realize it until he was in the victim's mind."

Ron sat back and thought. While this did actually give them a fair strategy against Krueger it would mean someone would have to die or be driven insane to trap the monster.

"What if we just physically pull Krueger out of the dream world by holding on to him and waking ourselves up? Nancy says she managed to do it and you said a few of the old Dream Masters met their end that way."

M.M. shook his head sadly. "The Nightmare Gods are learning. They used to choose mild or weak willed people who thought of doing evil but never acted upon it to make into their Dream Masters. This Freddy Krueger is a different type."

"In what way?"

"Freddy Krueger is a vicious, efficient and complete total bastard." M.M. calmly stated. "In other words, even if you pull him from the dream world, you may have taken his dreaming powers away from him but you are still going to be facing a seasoned serial killer that has killed dozens and dozens of people."

"Yeah, that would be bad." Ron admitted. "Still I bet Krueger never met someone with plasma powers like Shego."

"Do you wish to risk losing your mates to test that theory?" M.M. asked.

Ron immediately shook his head no. "Not really, no." Ron studied the now empty tea cup in his hand as he tried to find a solution where no one else had to die or be driven insane. "Wait! What if a Dream Master was in someone's mind and that person suddenly stopped dreaming?"

The ancient mystical monkey reached up a hand and started stroking his long white beard. "You are thinking about the Hypnocil? If you could nudge Krueger into someone's mind while they were dreaming and injected them with the hypnocil?" The monkey thought for several long moments. "I…. Cannot answer that Ron, never before has man knew of a way to stop dreaming. A Dream Master uses his power to enter and control another's dreams. If the person just wakes up, they escape for a short time from the Dream Master until they sleep again but if they just stop dreaming while still asleep? I just do not know. I would imagine the Dream Master would find itself captive inside that person's mind, powerless."

Ron began to look excited and it was evident he was just moments away from a boo yah and high fiving his naked mole rat companion.

The Mystical Monkey raised a warning hand. "I do believe however, that if the person on Hypnocil were ever to miss taking a shot of that drug again, the Dream Master would then be freed from his imprisonment and be able to escape back into the general dream world as soon as the person starting dreaming once again."

"Okay. So the plan has a few holes and stuff that needs to be worked out but you have to admit it is better than someone dying or being driven insane. I've got to get back to the others to tell them what we've figured out! Thanks for the help M.M.!"

Ron stood up from his kneeling and began to fade almost at once. The Ancient Monkey started to open his mouth to say something but then just shrugged.

Shego and Kim leaned over Ron's sitting form staring intently at his face for any signs that he was dreaming or under attack by Krueger. "How do we know he really is meditating and not dreaming?" Shego asked for about the third time.

Ron's closed eyes fluttered once and then opened. "I must be dreaming because I'm looking at two angels." He muttered.

Shego smiled and then smirked. "That was cheesy but you are forgiven." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then moved to the side so Kim could get to him.

"Cheesy!" Rufus who was now out of his meditation squeaked.

"Ron do you know how worried we were about you?" Kim began but then giving in to her own desire she also kissed him.

Over at the bed Nancy allowed an eyebrow to rise.

Ron quickly got to his feet and returned to stand next to the bed so he could explain what he found out to not only Shego and Kim but Nancy as well.

"Well did you learn anything?" Shego prompted before Ron could speak.

"Yeah. A whole lot of things. Dreaming Gods, Nightmare Gods, Dream Masters…."

"Let me rephrase that. Learn anything useful? That we can use to destroy this Krueger person?"

"The Mystical Monkey power told me there is only a handful of ways to destroy a Dream Master and that is what Krueger is by the way. He can be pulled into the real world, the way Nancy did it but Mystical Monkey doesn't think that is a good idea. He can be tricked into entering the mind of someone who is dying or on the brink of insanity. In which case he would be killed or be trapped in the crazy person's mind."

"Not liking any of the options yet." Shego stated.

"Or a final way I came up with." Ron said. "But first I should tell you that Mystical Monkey isn't entirely sure it will work, we trick Freddy into someone's mind while they are dreaming and then inject them with the hypnocil."

Ron waited a moment for reactions but didn't get any. Kim pulled up the Kimmunicator. "Wade?"

The boy genius on the other end of the line pondered for a moment. "I get what Ron means. Krueger uses dreams as gateways to peoples' minds. If he was in someone's mind and the dreaming just suddenly stopped it would be like a jail cell door slamming shut behind him. He would be trapped. But if the person on Hypnocil ever missed getting a shot after that?"

"Um, yeah that was the part Mystical Monkey brought up too. As soon as the person starts dreaming again Krueger would be on the loose again." Ron admitted.

"So what you need is someone who is on a prescription for Hypnocil anyway. Who by doctor's orders has to take it anyway?" Nancy stated grimly.

"No. Not going to be you." Ron flatly said. "You've been through enough. We'll trick Krueger into entering my mind and then Kim or Shego can give me a shot of this hypo stuff and we'll lock him away in my mind." Ron gentled the grim look on his face. "Besides, I've got plenty of room in my mind to lock Krueger away. I've got vast areas I've never even used that we can use for a jail cell for him."

Nancy folded her arms across her chest and glared at Ron. "No. Freddy Krueger is my fight! He killed my friends. He killed my boyfriend and hunted me. He killed my mother and caused my father to lock me away in this asylum! If anyone is going to trap him so he can't harm anyone else it should be me!" To forestall Ron's argument that Nancy could see he was about to give she added. "And where are you going to get the Hypnocil to inject yourself with anyway? I'm the one the nurse will be giving it to."

Ron waved one hand casually. "So not the big. Shego can steal some from this place's pharmacy and inject me with it. Later we can get Wade to find a supplier of it so I can take regular injections to keep Krueger down."

Shego was staring at the carpet of the room and didn't answer him. It wasn't Ron's casual mention of her stealing, the thought of stealing didn't bother her even though she knew he wanted her to stop doing it, it was the fact that she wouldn't, couldn't do it to or for Ron. There was no way she was locking away a serial killer inside Ron's mind to maybe someday slaughter him in his sleep if he ever missed taking that medication. "I won't do it." She calmly said without looking at Ron.

"What?" Ron asked turning to look at her.

"I'm not going to help you lock away a rabid killer inside your own mind." Shego looked up and Ron could see she had tears in her eyes. "Don't ask me to Ron please."

Wade's voice called out from the Kimmunicator. "I have to agree with Shego. This isn't a good idea."

"Oh? And give me one good reason not." Ron angrily said.

"Zorpox." Wade said.

Nancy had no idea who or what a Zorpox was but she could see the reactions the name had on the people in her room. Ron stiffened, Kim and Shego paled and the naked mole rat Rufus standing on her bed put his hands over his eyes.

"What is a Zorpox?" She finally asked.

" A while back on a mission Ron was exposed to a machine that brings out the evil in a person, enhances it and puts it back into them." Kim Possible replied staring off into space. "That evil named itself Zorpox."

"Zorpox is gone." Ron stated hollowly. "Kim and Drakken fixed the machine and took him out of me."

"No they didn't. They rebalanced your good side and suppressed Zorpox's evil but he's still inside you Ron and if you were to dump Krueger inside there too, chances are they would join forces and turn you back to evil. The risk is just too great to chance it." Wade said.

"So see?" Nancy stated. "I'm the perfect choice. I have to take the medication and I more than anyone else have a reason to see Krueger restrained if not destroyed."

Ron started shaking his head. "No, it's not right! Can you stand living knowing that some sicko is staring out of your eyes during the day, just waiting for some slipup in medication to free himself and start killing again?"

Nancy calmly stared back at him. "Could you? You were just proposing doing the same thing to yourself. If this is our best shot to stop Krueger we have to take it."

Ron looked helplessly at Shego and Kim.

"I can't do it or I would." Shego said. "I'm a bad girl…" Seeing Ron's frown she amended herself. "I used to be a bad girl. Krueger inside my mind would find it too easy to tempt me back into doing evil. You can't do it Ron for the same reason. You are a good guy but you too have tasted evil even if it was unintentional."

"I could do it." Kim stated.

Shego shook her head. "Nope. Not going to happen Princess. With all the sudden missions you go on? One time missing the shot just because you were dangling in mid air over an island about to drop in on Dementor or Drakken and Freddy would have a green light as soon as you fell asleep. No, I don't like this any more than Ronnie does but if anyone is going to try and trap Krueger in their mind, Nancy is the most logical choice."

"Thank you." Nancy said to Shego.

Shego looked at her as if she was crazy. "Don't thank me! Don't you get it? We're about to make you a jailer of a sick twisted perverted freak! He may not be able to torture you in dreams but we have no guarantee that Krueger won't be able to whisper to you in your mind. You may be trapped forever listening to him whisper sick things to you." Shego shook her head violently. "No. This is a bad idea. I say we sleep and when he attacks us in our dream we wake ourselves and pull him into this world and fight him!"

Nancy shook her head. "It won't work. All he needs to do is find one person asleep and he'll escape back into the dream world and take the sleeper with him. All we would do is just be responsible for someone else's death. Ron's plan is the best choice to stop him." Nancy glanced over to a clock on the wall. "The nurse will be back in a few moments to escort you guys out. An hour later they will come back in here to give me a shot of the hypnocil. They won't even bother to wake me if I'm asleep, they'll just inject me anyway so the best thing to do is find somewhere you three can sleep, find me in my dreams and help me hold Krueger inside my mind till they inject the drug and it takes effect."

Ron, Shego, Kim and even Rufus looked at each other and reluctantly nodded their heads at Nancy. Before any of them could say anything more, the door to the room slowly opened to reveal the nurse that had led them there earlier. "Sorry. Visiting hours are over with now. Maybe you could come back tomorrow?"

"See you soon Nancy." Kim told her.

The nurse holding the door open looked back at Nancy. "I'll be back in about an hour with your shot Nancy. Try not to fall asleep before then."

Nancy nodded although she had every intention of trying to go to sleep before then so she could be ready to trap Krueger before the drug entered her system and suppressed her ability to dream.

Ron, Shego and Kim found themselves once again outside the oppressive front doors of the mental institute.

"Should we attempt to find a hotel room or just find somewhere safe in the nearby woods to try and sleep?" Shego asked.

Kim with a thoughtful look on her face replied. "I think we better find some place close by. The rules of the dream world maybe different than reality but I would still feel better being close by."

Kim led Ron and Shego around the large complex to the back of it which was heavily wooded. Finding a large tree they all leaned back against it, Ron once again in the middle with his arms around both Kim and Shego.

Just as Ron was about to drift off he suddenly realized something. "Where's Rufus?"

Nancy lying in her bed was trying to relax so she could sleep but she had to admit to herself if to no one else that she was terrified about what she was about to attempt. Feeling movement on the edge of her bed she was almost ready to scream when she looked down and saw the naked mole rat Rufus looking at her in a surprisingly comforting way.

"Night night." The mole rat squeaked at her.

Nancy reached over and patted him on the head. "You going to stand guard to make sure I'm all right?" She asked.

Rufus nodded his head.

"Thank you." Nancy murmured as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax. A few moments later she was breathing deeply as she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Shego with her eyes closed tightly together, shifted in annoyance. Opening one eye she looked over at Ron and Kim. Ron's chest was moving up and down in a gentle manner and by all appearances he was fast asleep. Kim on the other hand was shifting and squirming around and even with her eyes closed looked almost as annoyed as Shego was feeling.

"You asleep Kimmie?" Shego asked softly.

Kim immediately opened her eyes and looked across at Shego. "No. It's like trying to sleep before Christmas or a long trip. You know you should be asleep but you just can't force yourself."

Shego shifted slightly with Ron's arm across her shoulder and pointed at him. "Ron seems to be asleep."

Kim frowned and nodded her head. "He says it is one of his 'special' abilities. That he can sleep anywhere or any time he wishes. I can't count the number of times heading back after a mission all keyed up and looking over to find Ron sleeping like a baby. Its really annoying."

Shego's eyes began to widen in alarm. "But if Ron is asleep while we are awake... That means he is facing Krueger alone in the dream world!"

Kim's eyes widen in panic to match Shego's and both women leaned back once again against the tree and furiously shut their eyes and tried to force themselves to sleep.

Ron hearing the noises of steam and screeching of metal on metal opened his eyes and found himself in a stairwell leading down into the gloom.

"I must be dreaming." He muttered out loud as he was certain he had never seen before a place like he now found himself in.

"Kim? Shego?" He called out softly. When he heard no reply instead of looking nervous he breathed a sigh of relief. "The Ron man's special sleeping ability comes in handy once again."

Moving down the stairwell he reached a landing and pushing open a rusted looking door found himself in a gloomy corridor with walls that had large holes gaping in them every several paces.

"Come on Krueger! I'm here! Come out, come out where ever you are!" Ron yelled.

A eerie dry chuckle that seemed to come from everywhere at once was Ron's only answer.

"Aww come on. Don't tell me you are afraid of me?" Ron taunted as he slowly made his way down the corridor towards the door at the end of it. Hearing the sound of metal on metal Ron spun around to see Freddy's finger knives slowly curl around the metal door he had entered by just a few moments ago. The knives seems to caress the metal door for a moment before the door was pushed open to reveal Freddy standing there.

"Ah. There you are. Good." Ron stated.

Freddy cocked his head to the side to study Ron for a moment. "Aren't you missing your Kewpie dolls?" He finally rasped.

Ron looked puzzled for a moment before he frowned. "Shego and Kim are not Kewpie dolls! They are my... Um, friends."

"Don't you mean something more than friends?" Freddy replied. Holding up his ungloved hand he made a circle with his first finger and thumb and then taking the knife gloved hand he held out the first finger blade and slid it in and out of the circle suggestively.

Ron's faced flushed red, with anger or embarrassment it was hard to tell. Instead of backing away from the fried face monster in front of him, Ron actually started to walk towards him. "What they are is my business not yours!" He growled at Freddy.

Krueger watched the young man walking towards him with amusement. Was the boy suicidal? Finally it dawned on Freddy what Ron was thinking of trying to do. Raising his finger knives he tapped one of the blades on his chin. "I get it. You don't want to risk your little playmates in a fight with me so you rushed here first thinking you can fight me on your own?"

Ron pulled to a stop a few feet away from Krueger. "I'm not going to fight you, I'm going to destroy you completely." He said calmly.

Krueger laughed uproariously. "With what?" He finally asked.

Ron although wearing his 'serious' face still gulped a little. "I really hope this works. Sensei always said the Lotus Blade would find me and come to me if I called it but I really don't think Sensei ever thought I would try this dreaming." Ron muttered as he held out an empty hand and concentrated on it.

Freddy had about decided to cut off Ron's held out hand when there was a sudden flare of light. When the light died down enough to see once again Freddy was shocked to see the blond teenager in front of him was now holding a long sword in his hand.

"What do you do for an encore kid? Pull a rabbit out of your ass?" Freddy growled.

Ron held the sword out in Freddy's direction and with another burst of light the sword was gone to be replaced by a long silver pole. The pole suddenly extended in Krueger's direction hitting him in the stomach and driving him backwards toward the half open metal door behind him. Hitting the door hard, Freddy crashed into the door and through it as if the door was paper-mache instead of rusty metal.

"Boo – yah!" Ron stated. Running to the now ruined doorway, the Lotus Blade reverting back into a sword as he ran, Ron planned to follow through to put an end to Freddy Krueger.

Reaching the doorway, Ron stepped through and found... Himself standing in an octagonal arena and not the stairwell landing he had not long ago left.

"Huh?" Ron asked in surprise. The octagonal arena was surrounded by high stone walls. As Ron turned to look behind him he was only semi surprised to find the doorway he had entered by was no longer there and had been replaced by yet another stone wall. In the center of the floor of the arena there was a octagonal symbol with four slash like marks in the middle.

Moving cautiously with the Lotus Blade held out in front of him Ron advanced to the center of the arena, always turning slowly to keep all angles in view. Reaching the center Ron resisted the urge to scratch his head. There was no one else in the arena with him. Krueger seemed to have vanished completely.

Sensing something behind him, Ron whipped the Lotus Blade around and felt a shock wave travel up his arm as he just barely managed to block a heavy blow from a Samurai sword. Looking at his opponent Ron was startled to see a Samurai warrior in full armor standing before him. The details were perfect except for one thing. Some Samurai would wear fearsome face masks that depicted demons or animals to scare their opponents. This Samurai had a face mask of a badly burnt man. Ron could see the oily serpent like eyes of Krueger glaring out at him from through the eye holes of the mask.

To Ron's consternation he noticed that it was taking all his strength to keep the samurai sword from slicing him apart and Krueger was wielding it with just one hand. The implications of that were just starting to sink into Ron when he felt four cold yet burning slashes across his stomach. Leaping backwards he broke free from the swords' lock and looked down at his stomach.

Revealed through four razor slashes in his shirt he could see blood start to weep from cuts in his stomach. They weren't deep but they were painful.

Looking back over at his opponent he spotted what he had missed before. Krueger had been wielding the sword single handedly because his other hand still maintained his glove with finger knives. It had been this that had sliced Ron when he had been distracted by the samurai sword.

Neither Kim nor Shego were having any luck forcing themselves to sleep when they suddenly felt Ron beside them give a violent shudder. Sitting up quickly both women turned to examine Ron by the light of the moon. They could just make out four slight cuts across Ron's stomach and as they watched the cuts began to bleed.

"We've got to get Ron out of there!" Kim nearly screamed.

"No! We've got to get in there to help him!" Shego nearly as frantic as Kim replied.

"How! Its not like I can go to sleep while Ron is being sliced apart right beside me and I can't do anything about it!"

"Kim. KIM!" Shego shouted to get her attention. "Do you trust me?" Shego asked her as Kim tore her eyes away from Ron to look over at the green skinned woman.

"We've been through this Shego. Yes! I trust you! Ron trusts you!" Kim nearly cried as she realized that Shego was deadly serious.

Shego nodded her head. "Then I can help you into the dream world but I'm going to warn you. You will have a headache later."

Kim stiffened as she thought that Shego meant she was going to hit her to knock her out but then nodded her head. "Do it Shego! Please!"

Shego leaned over Ron's body and reaching out with her hand she flared her plasma powers but confined the power to one finger and touched Kim in the center of her forehead. Kim instantly was out.

Shego leaned back against the tree and looked down at her still glowing finger. "I've never tried this on myself." She muttered. Reaching up she lightly touched her glowing finger to her own forehead and sagged as the power knocked her out.

Ron backed away as the Samurai Freddy stalked towards him. Raising the Lotus Blade he changed it into a large round shield as Freddy crashed the samurai sword down once again. There was a loud clang as the sword bounced off the round shield and Ron began to breathe once again as he thought he just might have a chance to defeat Freddy in the dream realm.

Suddenly there was a rasp of metal on metal that almost sounded like a human scream and Ron risked a peek to see what had happened. Freddy having had his samurai sword stopped by the shield had swung his knife tipped fingers and landed a blow.

While the sword hadn't even dented the shield, the finger knives had deeply scoured grooves in it.

Ron could feel the Lotus Blade shield shake as if it was shivering.

"I don't know where you found that tricky penknife boy but these babies..." Freddy held up his finger glove. "Were baptized in the blood of dozens of babies and blessed with dream magic. Your toy can't stand up to them!"

Ron was afraid that Freddy just might be right. It would be one thing to lose his life fighting this evil but entirely another matter to lose the mystic Lotus Blade in the same fight.

Scrambling to his feet Ron found himself trapped in one of the corners of the octagon. Refusing to think about that for the moment he concentrated once again and the shield reformed into the Lotus Blade sword. Even in sword form Ron could see four gashes on the blade's surface.

"Return and heal." Ron instructed the sword. Ron could almost feel the blade trying to resist the order and stay to protect him but he was the master of the Lotus Blade, not the other way around so the sword shimmered and was gone.

"Well the sword is safe." Ron muttered as he now found himself facing Krueger unarmed.

"Pity you aren't." Krueger replied as he readied his samurai sword and his finger knives.

Before Freddy could bring either of his weapons to bare on the unarmed teen in front of him, he was hit from the side by a massive green fireball that caused him to be hurled away from Ron.

Freddy flew through the air till he crashed hard against one of the walls of the octagon and crashed to the ground. The samurai armor fell apart revealing Freddy standing there in his ugly red and green sweater and his brown dirty hat. Other than a scowl on his face there was no signs that he had been injured at all by the blast.

Shego raced across the floor of the octagon to reach Ron's side. Kim was no where in sight.

"Ron! Are you okay?" Shego asked and before he could answer Shego had pulled up his shirt to look at the light slashes across his stomach.

"Its okay Shego. I got hurt worse the last time Bueno Nacho had a 'kids eat free day.'" Ron attention on Freddy was lost when Shego wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "What the hell do you think you were doing go in first to face Krueger alone?!" Shego growled at him all the while she nearly squeezed the life out of him hugging so tightly.

"I thought I might be able to beat him?" Ron managed to wheeze out.

Krueger's dry sadistic chuckle was heard coming from everywhere and yet no where. "Aww. How sweet. Young love. You two love birds comfort each other. I'll go keep the lone and lonely love bird company for you."

Ron released himself from Shego's grasp and turned to look where Freddy had been. All that was left there now was the pile of samurai armor. Krueger was gone.

"Shego! Where's Kim?" Ron shouted.

Shego could only look around helplessly. "I don't know. I sent her along first. She should be here!"

Kim looked around in confusion. She was at Middletown High School and for the life of her she couldn't remember arriving or what day it was. There had been something important she was suppose to be doing but her mind was foggy.

"Well the easiest way to find out what I was suppose to be doing is just ask Wade." Kim muttered to herself as she made her way to her locker and rapidly spun the combination to open it. As Kim performed actions she had done a thousand times before, something still felt oddly wrong. As if there should be someone standing next to her as she opened her locker door.

"Hey Kim. Sorry to hear that the loser dumped you." Bonnie sniped insincerely at her as she walked by Kim's locker.

"Huh?" Kim replied but Bonnie had already walked on. Kim couldn't believe the ugly green and red striped sweater she was wearing.

As the door to the locker opened Wade appeared on the computer inside the locker. "Hey Kim. So sorry to hear about what happened with Ron."

"Ron?" Kim realized that was who was missing from next to her. "What happened with Ron? Where is he?"

Wade looked at her. Behind him Kim could make out his computer equipment. She couldn't remember when he had redecorated the computers with a red and green striped motif but her mind was on other matters at the moment.

Wade looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Ron got hit with a evil ray and turned back into Zorpox. He and Shego ran off and got married. Remember?"

Kim felt like the earth was opening underneath her feet. She felt dizzy and defeated all at the same time but a sudden certainty halted all the feelings.

"Ron wouldn't leave me... And neither would Shego. They both love me and I love both of them."

"What are you saying Kim?" Wade asked her his face growing larger as he leaned in towards the camera on his computer. "Shego is your enemy and Ron is a loser who never really cared for you."

"Ron is so not a loser!" Kim shouted at the computer and then looked around to see if anyone had noticed her being tweaked.

The hallway was completely deserted however... Which was very suspicious.

Looking back at the computer with Wade on it Kim wondered when her computer had been redone with stripes of red and green on it.

"Don't worry Kim. You may have lost Ron as your boyfriend but..." Wade's voice grew deeper and harsher sounding. "I'll be your boyfriend now!" Wade's face seemed to melt and was replaced by Freddy's.

Kim with a back flip managed to leap away from the locker as the computer spouted red and green striped arms and tried to snare her. Missing her the arms pulled back into the locker and the door slammed shut.

"Nice form Kim but not as good as what I could have done." Bonnie's voice said from beside her. Kim turned to tell the cheerleader off when she spotted that Bonnie was now dressed in her cheerleader outfit but she had a dusty brown hat perched on her head that the fashion conscious real Bonnie wouldn't have been caught dead wearing.

Kim shook her head and placing her hands on her hips said. What is with you and trying to appear as other people Krueger? Your own face so ugly you can't stand wearing it?"

Bonnie's form started to melt and twist to reveal Krueger. Kim prepared herself for anything he might pull but was still shocked when with a yell of K.P. Ron bolted through the hallway doors and accidentally slammed into the still changing Krueger knocking him off his feet to slide on the floor of the hallway.

Ron blinked. "Was that Bonnie wearing a dirty sweater and a hat or was that Freddy wearing a cheerleader skirt? In any case that was sick and wrong!"

Kim watched Ron cautiously. "More to the point. Are you Ron or Freddy looking like Ron."

Ron reached up and scratched his head. "I'm me... I think."

"Tell me something that only Ron would know!" Kim still on guard and not letting him get too close demanded.

"Um, I hate Camp Wannaweep and I'm the most luckiest guy in the world to have two bondiggity girlfriends like you and Shego?"

"RON!" Kim shouted with joy and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Finally she released him. "Where is Shego by the way?"

Ron spun on his heels to look at the door in the hallway he had just entered but only to see the door was now gone. "Damn it!" Ron shouted shocking Kim who knew Ron rarely if ever cursed. "He did it again! He separated me from Shego this time."

Shego looked around in the gloomy hallway she found herself in. She had been running with Ron after blasting a way out of that arena of death she had found Ron in and they neared a set of double swinging doors. Shego had been careful to keep pace with Ron when her foot suddenly slipped on something on the floor and she slowed for only a moment. Ron had crashed through the door but by the time Shego had gotten back to her feet the door had disappeared. Blasting the wall where the door had been did little good so Shego turned around to find another way to Ron and Kim. The corridor she was walking down was damp and gloomy and it was reminding her strongly of something but she couldn't place what.

Reaching a door Shego didn't pause or even try for subtlety, she slammed the door open and strolled into the room beyond without pause.

"Ah Shego. There you are. Where have you been?" A voice Shego instantly recognized and had recently come to loathe called out.

"Dr. D? What the hell are you doing here?" Shego growled.

Placing a hand to her throat Shego realized that she really had growled that rather than saying it. Shego found something attached to a collar around her throat and before she could identify it any better than that felt a sudden tug that caused her to fall forward onto all fours.

"Bad Shego! How many times I've told you doggies should know their place!" Doctor Drakken said as he pulled on the leash connected to the collar around Shego's throat.

Shego's eyes widen. He did not just say that did he? She tried to rise to her feet so she could rip Dr. Drakken a new one when she suddenly realized she no longer had hands or feet. She now had paws... Just like a dog. Shego opened her mouth to curse and demand to know what the hell was going on but all that came out was a series of growls and barks. Looking over at the shiny walls of the lair Shego could see that she looked like a Doberman. She had no human features whatsoever.

"Bad doggies that can't follow directions and no one loves need to be put down. Can't have rabid beasts running around now can we?" Drakken sneered at Shego.

Shego tried to scramble backwards as she saw Drakken raise a hand and instead of fingers there were four hypodermic needles filled with a bluish liquid but the leash held her firmly in place.

"Now now Shego, this is only going to be excruciatingly painful." Dr. Drakken replied with a sick grin that continued to stretch and distort his face until he no longer looked like Drakken but more like Freddy. He bent over to jab the needles into Shego when two shoes belonging to two different people crashed into his face and hurled him away from Shego.

"Get away from her..." "You sadistic monster!" Ron yelled with Kim finishing his sentence for him. 'Drakken' flew through the air till he crashed into a machine on one side of the lair.

Kim landed in a battle ready form while Ron bent over the shaking Shego. As soon as his hands touched her shoulders Shego found herself back to normal and no longer appearing like a guard dog.

"I'm not a rabid animal bitch am I?" Shego cried to Ron.

Ron dropped to his knees and wrapped Shego in an embrace. "No. You are not an animal or beast of any kind!"

Shego continued to shake but she looked up at Ron and managed a weak smile. "You didn't say I wasn't rabid or a bitch." She reminded him.

Ron managed his own weak smile. "Trust me Shego. You are not rabid or a bitch. You are a beautiful woman that is loved completely by two people."

"Oh please. You are making me sick." Freddy's voice called out as he rose from the wrecked machinery.

"Dude! You are one sick creep. Killing someone is one thing but why would you want to torture someone like that?" Ron said rising to his feet and starting to stomp his way towards Krueger.

Shego rose to her feet and Kim quickly rushed to her side to make sure she was okay.

"Because fear and agony is sweet." Krueger replied to Ron's question as if Ron had asked how the weather was. "You remember don't you Ron? Remember the fear in Shego's eyes when you were... Zorpox? Remember the sweet thrill when she feared you would kill her?"

"That wasn't me!" Ron shouted as he raised his hands to cover his ears. "I'm not Zorpox!"

"Oh but you are. You deny it and try to hide from it but you are more Zorpox than you ever want to admit to." Freddy goaded Ron. "Wouldn't you love to see that fear in their eyes again? Have that cheerleader Bonnie down on her knees pleading for her life as you slowly slip a knife into her back?" Freddy's eyes grew distant as if listening to something only he could hear.

"Wouldn't you like to twist and break Monique's bones when she tries to argue with you about who the better wrestler is?"

Ron started shaking as if he was freezing.

"Wouldn't you like to see the agony and the ecstasy on Kim Possible's mother's face as you slowly slice her apart after you...?"

Ron's shaking stopped and when he looked up Kim stifled a gasp. She had never seen Ron so angry in her life. In some ways it was more terrifying than Zorpox's insane laugh had ever been.

"Shut up about Mrs. Dr. P. She's a saint! She raised me when my own parents couldn't be bothered!" Ron roared.

"Ron. Freddy is reaching into your mind to try and torture you. Don't let him!" Nancy's voice suddenly called out.

Krueger instantly lost interest in Ron's rage and pain and turned to look at Nancy standing at the entrance to Drakken's lair.

"Nancy!" Freddy said with a leer. "The one that got away!" He turned to face her ignoring Team Possible completely.

Shego and Kim quickly raced to Ron's side and wrapped their arms around him. They could feel him quivering from rage and self disgust that Freddy's words had wrapped him in.

Rufus watched Nancy's sleeping form nervously. Hearing a noise he ducked just underneath the covers.

Two people came in, one was the nurse that had let Ron, Shego and Kim in earlier and the second was a man that was obviously the staff doctor.

"Oh. She's already asleep." The nurse said stating the obvious.

The doctor had pulled a needle from his pocket and filled it from a bottle he was carrying. He hadn't even looked at Nancy yet but glanced over at the nurse's statement.

"Well then she obviously doesn't need this shot. She looks like she is sleeping peacefully enough."

"But doctor her chart states she must receive a shot of hypnocil every night no matter how she seems to be progressing." The nurse answered.

The doctor looked down his glasses at the nurse. "Which one of us is the doctor here and which is the hired help? I tell you when she receives a shot or not!" The doctor laid the already filled needle on the nightstand by Nancy's bed.

"If she shows signs of having nightmares, then you may give her this injection but while she is sleeping normally I see no reason to give it to her now."

On the bed Nancy began to twitch in her dreams but both the nurse and the doctor in their disagreement missed seeing it.

"Yes DOCTOR." The nurse replied icily.

The two people turned and left the room.

Rufus poked his head out from under the covers and shook his tiny head in disgust. Hoping up on the table he watched Nancy as she started sweating and twitching in her sleep.

Nancy fearlessly walked towards Freddy with a scowl on her face. "You killed my friends and my mother!" She yelled at Freddy.

Freddy clapped his hands together in mock glee. "Oh goody! You didn't forget all the good times we have had!"

Past Freddy's shoulder Nancy could see something strange happening. Ron, Kim and Shego were clutching each other and a strange bluish green glow began to appear around them. It was soft and even though Nancy couldn't explain if anyone were to ask her, it appeared to be a comforting glow.

"It ends here and now Krueger!" Nancy snarled at Freddy.

"Going to try and grab me and wake up again?" Freddy replied with a sneer. "It didn't work the first time and it won't work this time either. I'll just cut you up in the real world and find someone sleeping and slaughter them as I make my way back to the dream realm. Or do you expect your little buddies here to help you fight me in my realm? I rule here! No one can take me out in the dream realm!" Freddy started to turn to point in derision at Team Possible.

Nancy couldn't explain it but she knew in her heart it would be a bad thing if Freddy noticed the glow surrounding Team Possible so before he could turn she reacted.

Rushing the last few feet she grabbed Krueger tightly, managing to pin his arms to his side if only temporarily.

"Now!" She screamed.

Rufus watching the sleeping Nancy gave a slight jump as she began to mutter. "Now. Do it now!"

Making a quick decision Rufus grabbed up the hypodermic and leaping off the table jabbed it into Nancy's neck and pushed the plunger down.

Ron didn't understand what the glow was about that surrounded him, Kim and Shego but he knew he felt safe and loved inside it. When Nancy started yelling 'now' he didn't know why but he raised his hand and pointed it at Krueger's back. He was only dimly aware that both Shego and Kim mirrored his actions.

The glow shot out from their hands and hit Krueger in his back but Krueger struggling to free his arms from Nancy's embrace didn't even notice.

A rippling took place around Nancy and Freddy and suddenly both of them appeared in a girl's bedroom. From Ron's point of view it was like both Nancy and Freddy had been pushed through a doorway that hadn't been there a moment ago and were now in another room than he, Kim and Shego were.

Freddy finally broke free from Nancy's grasp and using his non gloved hand he pushed her back hard. Nancy fell onto her bed and Krueger leaped on top of her. Nancy struggled with Krueger to keep his blades from her face. Finally Krueger noticed that something wasn't quite right. Looking around he blinked.

"Your room? I didn't alter the dream world to bring us here!"

"Welcome to my mind you son of a bitch!" Nancy hissed at him as she managed to get one of her hands free and slugged him in the face.

Ron, Kim and Shego moved closer to the strange doorway that led to Nancy's bedroom. They prepared themselves to leap in to help Nancy as Krueger jerked his knife gloved hand up in preparation to plunging it into Nancy's face.

Suddenly Nancy sank into her bed leaving Krueger lying on top of the bed in confusion. Krueger turned to look around and spotted Team Possible watching but even as he moved to get off the bed and go after them the doorway shrank and disappeared.

"What is going on here?!" Krueger roared as the wallpaper on the walls began to peel off to reveal complete darkness behind them. The bed slowly dissolved dumping Krueger to the floor that was also growing more and more misty. Everywhere Krueger looked the room was slowly vaporizing and what was left behind was total and impenetrable blackness.

"I am Freddy Krueger! I am the Dream Master! No one can defeat me! No one!" Krueger roared as everything vanished leaving him in darkness.

Ron turned to look at Shego and Kim. "Is it over? Did we win?" He asked.

Shego looked thoughtful. "I think...So."

Kim nodded her head. "Yeah I think what we saw was Nancy trapping Krueger inside her mind. You noticed she disappeared before the doorway vanished?"

Ron and Shego nodded their heads. "I think that means she stopped dreaming at the point and Krueger found himself alone."

"But what was with the strange glow around us?" Shego asked. "It was nothing like my plasma powers."

Kim didn't answer as she had no clue.

"Mystical Monkey said the Pleasant Dream Gods worked through dreamers to help nudge people suffering from nightmares into pleasant dreams. He also said the Dream Guardians could help nudge a Dream Master into a dying person's mind so they would die also. I think what the glow was, was us nudging Krueger into Nancy's mind." Ron said slowly.

"So what do we do now?" Kim asked looking around.

"Well I would suggest a wet dream..." Shego glanced around at the dream version of one of Dr. Drakken's lairs and shuddered. "But not here. This place gives me the creeps. Strange isn't it? I used to work and live in one of these places all the time but now it creeps me out."

The background wavered slightly and started growing dim.

"What's going on now?" Ron asked nervously.

"This place was created by Krueger to terrorize Shego. Now that he's gone, we are waking up and like a bad dream it is fading." Kim replied taking a guess.

Kim faded from view as she woke up in the real world.

Shego looked over at Ron. "See you in the real world and you better hurry or me and Kim might start without you." She then faded away as well.

Ron opened his eyes and yawned. It was still dark out and he could feel the rough texture of the tree's bark behind him. Under either arm was Kim or Shego. They had defeated, at least for now, Krueger and the world was safe. He couldn't help it. A grin formed on his face.

A grin that faded as he felt Shego give him a light jab to his ribs.

She sat up and on the other side of him Ron could feel Kim doing the same.

"I have a question for you Ron." Shego began. "Why did you try to fight Krueger in the dream world? If you were going to take him on, why didn't you just grab him, wake yourself up and let me and Kimmie who were still awake take him on?"

"Don't I even get a good morning kiss first?" Ron asked trying to change the subject. Unfortunately Kim could read him like a book. "First the answer and then depending on the answer you MIGHT get a kiss."

Ron sighed. "Shego have you ever killed anyone?"

"Huh? What's that got to do with anything?" Shego asked.

"You haven't had you?" Ron stated more than asked.

Shego looked away for a moment before looking back at him. Ron could see her face by the moonlight and even though we are talking about Shego here, she looked fragile.

"No. I've put people in the hospital before but I've always prided myself on never cross that particular line and killing someone."

"Exactly." Ron stated. "If we had brought Krueger to the real world there is only one thing we could have done and that would have been to kill him. We couldn't capture him and turn him over to the police. No one would believe he was the serial killer from years ago. They would have had to eventually release him, not to mention all Krueger had to do is find someone asleep and escape that way and that we couldn't allow that. I suspected you had never killed anyone before and I knew that Kim had never done that."

"Krueger is not a person! He's a monster!" Shego argued.

"But yet if you had killed him could you look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you are basically a good person and deserve a second chance?" Ron countered. "Or would you forever be telling yourself that you could never be a hero again cause you murdered someone? Forever wondering if there is a darkness inside you just waiting for another chance to kill again?"

Kim looked at Ron as if he had lost his mind. "So you attacked Krueger in the dream world?"

Ron shrugged. "I thought I might have a chance to destroy him there and if it didn't work out I was going to try and pull him into the real world and take care of him myself while you and Shego were safe in the dream world."

Shego folded her arms. "So you would have been the murderer and forever wondering about the darkness in yourself?"

Ron shrugged again and got to his feet and stared at the moon in the sky. "If it saved you and Kim I could and would have done anything."

Kim could feel tears coming to her eyes. She loved Ron so much.

Shego? Shego was stunned to her core. First Ron risked his life to save hers and now he just admitted to being willing to risk his soul to save hers. Shego had never known anyone willing to do that for her. She vowed once again to do whatever it took to be the hero that Ron thought he saw in her and to never leave his or Kim's side.

It was a silent trio that watched the sunrise. After waking from Freddy's defeat none of the three could bring themselves to sleep again but that was okay, they didn't really need to. They took comfort and revitalization just being in each other's presence. Ron was once again sitting with his back to a tree with Kim and Shego nestled into his arms. They would have to wait another three hours before the hospital opened to visitors but none of them really minded it.


	9. Chapter 9

Once again Kim and Shego found themselves in front of the stairs that lead up to the Westin Hills mental asylum. Shego took a deep breath and bracing her shoulders she glanced over at equally tense Kim. "Okay let's do this. Let's make sure Nancy is all right."

They were stopped as Ron put a hand on their shoulders. "Um I think we should get the twigs and leaves out of you guys' hair first or they might ask some awkward questions."

Shego spun around trying to see the back of her own head. "Leaves in my HAIR?! I hate that!"

Kim however used to having to rough it on missions just shrugged and started running her fingers through her hair to dislodge the debris. Ron came to Shego's rescue and gently turning her around he started brushing his fingers through her long raven dark hair, pulling out leaves and the few odd twigs. His fingers gently caressing her scalp and lightly brushing the nape of her neck on each sweep. As soon as he was satisfied that no more lay hidden in her hair he turned to Kim and even though she shook her head that it was not needed he began to carefully brush her hair with his fingers also.

Shego who had her eyes closed in near bliss, opened them to watch Kim nearly purr with pleasure as Ron carefully groomed her hair while standing so close his breath tickled Kim's neck.

"Whoa. Where did that come from? And when can we do that again? Who knew having a guy comb your hair could be so much of a turn on?" Shego asked.

"We are going to have to arrange a weekly time for rolling in leaves." Kim agreed as she opened her eyes. Turning to look at Ron she looked thoughtful. "That grooming was almost like the way a …"

"Don't say it Kim! Don't mention…" Ron started.

"A monkey grooms its mates." Kim finished.

"Aww you had to use the 'M' word." Ron whined.

"I thought you were over your problems with monkeys?" Kim asked in surprise.

Ron blinked. "Oh yeah. I am, aren't I?" Ron looked thoughtful for a moment. "But just cause I no longer fear monkeys doesn't mean I want to act or have people start thinking I look like one!"

Shego came up alongside Ron. "You needn't worry Ronnie. You aren't acting like a monkey and look nothing like one."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now come along and after we get finished checking on Nancy I'll buy you a banana for breakfast." Shego passed by Ron and took Kim's arm and they started walking up the stairs to the entrance of the mental hospital.

Ron stood on the bottom of the stairs for a moment. "Hey! That's not funny!" He finally shouted as he raced to catch up with them.

Kim and Shego giggled. The tension of moments before now broken.

A different receptionist/nurse than the one the night before met them but before they could introduce themselves or explain why they were there she told them that the nurse from yesterday had explained everything to her. The nurse led them quickly to Nancy's room and opened the door for them.

Sitting up in her bed Nancy watched to see who came in. Seeing Kim and her group entered she waited till the door shut. "It's okay you can come out now." She said lifting the top edge of her blanket. Rufus popped his head out and waved. "Hi. Hi." He squeaked.

"Rufus! I thought when I couldn't find you last night that you probably had stayed behind to keep an eye on Nancy." Ron said as Rufus scampered up his leg and then up to his shoulder to give him a hug.

"Did everything go all right last night?"

Rufus hopped off of Ron's shoulder to the night table beside Nancy's bed and started pantomiming and rapidly squeaking at them, even Kim who had known Rufus almost as long as Ron had trouble following the excited naked mole rat speech and poor Shego and Nancy were totally lost. Ron however nodded his head following his mole rat's monologue completely.

Finally Shego couldn't take it anymore. "What is he saying?" She asked in an annoyed tone.

"Rufus says he stayed behind last night to make sure that Nancy got her shot when she was supposed to." Ron began and on the table top Rufus placed his tiny hand over his eyes and pantomimed keeping a sharp look out.

"He says that after Nancy went to sleep a doctor and a nurse…" Ron stopped as Rufus waved his hands at him and pointed at the door and squeaked something. "Oh the nurse we met yesterday at the front desk came in, the doctor prepared the shot but the nurse pointed out that Nancy was already asleep."

Rufus mimed with his tiny hands someone filling a shot and then still too rapidly squeaking for Kim, Nancy or Shego to follow said something else to Ron.

"The doctor decided that if Nancy was already asleep and not suffering from nightmares that they should just skip giving her the shot."

Rufus pantomimed putting the shot on the table beside him.

"The doctor and nurse then left." Ron continued narrating for him. Rufus then imitated someone tossing and turning. Shego and Kim could clearly make out Rufus saying something that sounded suspiciously like, "oh shit."

"Rufus figured out that Nancy was struggling with Krueger and really need that shot now."

Rufus acted out holding something in his arms and then mimed jumping and then slapped his hand to his tiny neck.

Nancy reached up and felt her own neck and then started looking on the bed beside her. She quickly found the hypodermic needle. "You gave me my shot?" She asked Rufus.

The naked mole rat held up a paw with a thumb up gesture.

Nancy looked horrified for a moment. "If I hadn't gotten that shot when I did…. Freddy would have sliced me to ribbons." She looked over at Rufus. "You saved my life! You saved all of us!" She reached out and picked up Rufus and cuddled him for a moment. "You are a hero!"

Rufus blushed a little. "Aww shucks." He squeaked and all of them understood him that time.

"Way to go Rufus!" Ron praised him. "I'm going to buy you a Naco when we get home, grande sized of course."

"A Naco? I'll buy him everything on the menu!" Shego said as she reached out a finger and stroked Rufus on the head.

"We'll have to get him his own unlimited Bueno Nacho card." Kim agreed.

Rufus nodded his head energetically.

Ron who had been grinning at his little buddy turned serious. "How are you feeling Nancy? Do you, um, notice anything different?" He asked uncertainly.

Nancy still smiling at Rufus shook her head. "I remember everything that happened last night in the dream world but after I sank into the bed and left Krueger? I don't remember anything. I woke this morning at dawn a little tired but other than that? Nothing."

Shego watched her carefully. "No tiny voices in the back of your head whispering to you or any thoughts that don't seem your own?"

Nancy shook her head. "Nope. I feel fine."

"But what happens if another doctor someday decides that you don't need a shot?" Ron worried out loud.

Nancy shook her head. "That won't happen. I'll stay awake from now on till I get my shot."

Ron started to worry some more but was stopped when they all heard the musical tones of the Kimmunicator go off.

"Morning Wade." Kim said to the genius's image on the tiny screen. "What have you got for us?"

"Hey Kim! Ron, Shego, Nancy, Rufus." Wade greeted. "I've set up a program to monitor Nancy's stay at Westin Hills closely. Any signs that things have gone wrong I've got it set up to notify us and Global Justice immediately."

"You've told Global Justice about Krueger?" Shego asked stunned. "And they didn't think you cracked your hard drive?"

"Actually a better analogy would have been my CPU." Wade said frowning.

Shego shook her head in annoyance. "Forget the metaphors. Did they believe you?"

Wade took a sip of his ever ready Big Gulp drink sitting next to him, mostly just to annoy Shego by delaying his answer. Finally he nodded. "I doubt they would have two weeks ago but what with happened recently? A dream killer wasn't that hard to get Dr. Director to accept."

Ron grasped Kim's hand to turn the Kimmunicator in his direction but before he could say anything Wade stopped him. "I know what you are going to say Ron and I agree. This is hardly an ideal solution leaving Krueger locked inside Nancy's subconscious mind. I have my computers working on a better solution and I've even got Global Justice working on it. Someday we'll have a better solution."

Now it was Shego's turn to reach out and grasp Kim's hand to turn the Kimmunicator her way. "We need to get these two back home Nerdling."

Wade frowned at her once again. "You know you have never called me by my name yet. It's Wade, Shego."

Shego put on an innocent look that fooled no one, and replied. "Are you sure? I must have. If not, I'll get around to it…. Someday."

Wade just shook his head and addressed Kim. "Big Sally is passing through near you in a short time. If you can get to the east end of the city limits within 20 minutes you can meet up with her there. She's going right past Middletown so you can catch a ride with her."

"Big Sally?" Shego asked.

"You'll understand when you see her." Kim's reply to her was.

"Right Wade. We're there. Contact Lt. Thompson and tell him…" Kim instructed Wade, she paused for a moment and looked up at the group. "Um what should we tell him?" Kim asked.

"Tell him we couldn't find anything and we are going home." Shego said instantly.

"But he'll think we are clueless and couldn't solve the murder!" An incensed Kim replied.

"Princess. What is more important? Your reputation takes a slight hit or we end up next door to Nancy in this place? He won't believe the truth and even if we could convince him, how do you think he would take that his daughter was made a prison for Krueger?"

"But he'll tell everyone that I failed. I'm Kim Possible. Anything is possible for a Possible."

Shego rolled her eyes at Kim.

"Kim, we know that we stopped Krueger and no one else will get hurt. Isn't that what you told me was the most important thing?" Ron finally asked.

"Well….Yeah." Kim said reluctantly. "But I hate someone thinking we failed when we actually won."

Shego reached out and Kim reluctantly let her take the Kimmunicator from her and addressed Wade. "Tell Thompson he was right and we couldn't find anything more than his own police department did and that we have to return home. If he finds any more information we would appreciate him updating us." Wade shot Kim a sympathetic look and nodded his head. Shego then pocketed the Kimmunicator. "Goodbye Nancy. We'll keep in touch with you." Shego nodded and gave a wave as she turned to Kim

Ron continued to stand at Nancy's bedside. Nancy smiled at him. "Don't worry Ron. He's locked away and he must not be able to taunt or torment me or he would have already been doing it."

"I still don't like it." Ron muttered as he picked up Rufus and transferred him to his pocket. "You have been through so much and then have to remain here holding Krueger imprisoned? It's just not right!"

"I'll be all right." Nancy assured him one more. Kim and Shego standing at the door held out their arms to Ron and reluctantly he left Nancy's side and joined them.

Thirty minutes later found Kim, Shego, Ron and of course Rufus riding in an eighteen wheeler barreling down the freeway. Big Sally as Shego found out was aptly named. The woman was close to six and a half feet tall and must have weighed close to 300 lbs. She was wearing black leather pants and a levi vest with no sleeves and Shego could see her bare muscular arms were heavily tattooed. Her hair was closely cropped to her head and she had a silver chain attached to her right ear that leads to a nose ring. Shego had met a few women in prison that looked like Sally and she had learned to avoid them. But when Sally had opened her mouth to thank Kim Possible for whatever it was that Kim and Ron had done for her was when Shego got her biggest shock. Big burly Sally was soft spoken and talked like a refined southern belle. The contrast between her looks and her voice and mannerisms were so contrasting that Shego had missed whatever it was that Kim and Ron had done for her and only noticed that she got Ron's name wrong and called him Rom.

Ron sat in the passenger's side seat with his arms around Kim and Shego. Kim sitting half on his lap while Shego occupied the other half, it was incredibly close and cramped in the cabin of the truck and Ron had to admit he was enjoying every second of it. He could have used his 'sleeping ability' to take a quick nap but decided instead to just hold Kim and Shego so they could drift off without fear of falling off his lap. His stomach growled loudly reminding him that regular meal times hadn't been much of a priority this mission and his stomach didn't like it one bit.

Big Sally kept glancing at the three of them out of the corner of her eye and finally noticing that Kim and Shego had nodded off she cleared her throat.

"So tell me Rom, are you and Kim an item?"

Ron nodded as a grin came to his face. He just couldn't help it. It felt so good to admit that him and Kim were now together.

Big Sally raised an eyebrow. "So are you two timing her with greenie there?"

"Wha? NO!" Ron replied not ready to try and explain the complex relationship he had with Kim and Shego. "What would make you think that?"

Sally briefly turned her head to look at him fully and then glanced down. Ron following her eyes saw that his arm holding Shego in his lap had slid down till he was holding her by the waist with the fingers of his hand resting casually on her upper thigh. A moment's reflection revealed to Ron that his other arm was in the exact same position with Kim. He supposed the proper appearing thing would have been to move his arm and hand up higher on Shego's waist. Instead he looked at Sally with his own eyebrow raised and cuddled both Kim and Shego closer to him. Both women shifted till they could rest their heads on his shoulders and even asleep they snuggled closer and sighed with satisfaction.

As the truck pulled away from the curb Shego resisted the urge to yell something rude after it. "What was that woman's problem? Why did she keep shooting me evil looks after I woke up?" Shego suddenly looked worried. "I didn't talk in my sleep did I?"

Ron smirked. "Well you did mention something about whipped cream and chocolate sauce on a Ron sundae with a Kimmie on top."

Shego's eyes widen for a split second before they narrowed. "You are getting better at lying Ronnie."

"How do you know?" Ron asked his smirk growing a little larger as he, Kim and Shego headed towards Kim's house.

"Because I would never say a sundae, I prefer sandwiches to group sundaes. Less messy and more…" Shego paused and deliberately licked her lips. "Filling."

Ron swallowed nervously.

"Please don't mention food. I'm starving." Kim complained.

"I wasn't talking food princess."

"I know what you were talking about but right now I just want something to eat and just some time to crash." Kim looked up at the sky. "School would have already let out for the day so we missed it completely and nothing can be done about that."

Shego grinned as she thought of suggesting something Kim could eat but took pity on the younger woman. "Ron will just have to whip something up for us when we get inside."

"Hey! You two were the ones that got some sleep on the truck. I had to stay awake and talk to Big Sally and frankly I don't think she likes me that much."

"I don't think she likes any man, if you get my drift." Shego muttered.

"Look. We're home. We survived the mission and stopped the evil maniac." Kim stated as she opened the front door of her house. "Let's just get a bite to eat and then relax." Shego and Ron nodded their heads and followed Kim through the house. "I mean we got through the rough stuff and it's all smooth sailing now." Kim added as they crossed into the kitchen.

It was a statement to how tired all three of them were that they didn't even notice Ann Possible sitting at the kitchen table waiting for them.

"What do you all want to eat?" Ron asked as he opened the fridge and took a look inside.

"You can fix something for us to eat after we have a little talk first Ron." Mrs. Possible stated.

Ron froze. Slowly he pulled his head out of the fridge and made a huge pretense of looking at his arm as if he was wearing a watch. "Wow. Look at the time. I really should get home and let my parents know that I'm back." He said and started to turn to exit the kitchen.

"Freeze Ronald Dean Stoppable." Mrs. Possible in a no nonsense voice called out. "Your parents called and have decided to take an impromptu vacation so there is no one home over there right now. Now sit down at this table."

"Yes ma'am." Ron said and promptly sat down.

"We should really get Dr. Director's credit card back to her…." Kim began.

"Kimberly Ann." Anne Possible said to her daughter.

"Yes ma'am." Kim said as she slid in right beside Ron.

Shego looked at Mrs. Possible with a faint smirk. "Pity you can't do that to me." She said.

"You don't think so? Sheila Lorelei Goh." Mrs. Possible with her own smirk replied.

Shego's eyes grew wider than Kim or Ron had ever seen them go. "You can't know that! Nobody knows my real name!"

"Sheila?" Ron said.

"Lorelei?" Kim added.

"I like it." Ron said after a moment. Kim nodded her head. "Me too."

"Well don't get used to it." Shego said folding her arms across her chest. "As far as I am concerned Sheila died that day the meteor hit. My name is Shego and I like that name." Shego softened her stance slightly as she turned to look at Kim and Ron. "Please just call me Shego, okay?" Turning her attention back to Mrs. Possible she glared at the older woman. A glare that in no way intimidated Ann Possible. "How did you find out my real name?"

"I'm a doctor. How hard do you think it is for me to find medical records on a young woman that was involved in a meteor crash and had her skin turn green?"

"I paid good money for Drakken to find all the records dealing with me and destroy them! That idiot couldn't even get that right?"

Ann Possible gave a brief shrug and pointed at the seat next to Kim and Ron. "Now sit!" She said.

Shego bristled for a moment and Kim feared she was going to just walk out but Shego realizing that if she pissed off Kim's mom she could keep her from seeing Kim and possibly (no pun intended) also Ron so she quickly decided to have a seat.

"So I gather you want to have a chat about something?" Shego asked as casually as she could.

"Where is Dr. Possible at?" Ron asked suddenly becoming very nervous.

"He took the boys to work with him. He was highly annoyed that they got their fuel and vector relationships wrong with the rocket project and thought a look at his work could help them learn better."

"And why aren't you at work?" Kim garnered enough courage to ask her mother.

"I'm not scheduled back till tomorrow. Remember? I didn't think we would be back so soon from our trip and schedule an extra day to recover."

"That was good thinking Mrs. Dr. P." Ron said.

"Ron?"

"Yes?"

"Don't try to snow job me or change the subject."

"Yes ma'am."

"So mom? What did you want to talk about?" Kim who couldn't bring herself to look at her mom asked the table.

"I want to discuss what happened the night before I came home and found you all in bed together." Mrs. Possible said in a flat voice.

"We told you about the mission…." Kim started.

"I'm not talking about that part and you know it. I want to know what happened in that bed. Who started it? Why? And what you three plan on doing now?" Ann Possible firmly stated.

Kim was so shocked she looked up and met her mother's eyes. "I'm not going to discuss my sex life with my mother!" She then slapped her hands over her mouth and tried to sink under the table.

"Princess, I don't think that sex was involved comes as that big a shock to her. I mean she saw that were in bed naked together. I think she figured out we had sex." Shego said.

"Actually it did come as a very big shock to me Shego." Mrs. Possible said with a frown. "I had thought we raised Kimmie better than that. What I want to know is did Ron seduce you? Or was it Shego? Is this just some teenage hormonal thing?" She said looking at her daughter.

"No." Ron said flatly causing Ann Possible to switch her attention from Kim to him. "It is not just some wild hormones. I love them. I love them both."

Mrs. Possible's look turned to one of extreme disappointment and Ron thought to himself it was like being sprayed with acid, it hurt so much. "So you seduced both of them?"

"You want to honest truth and nothing but?" Shego asked. "I was the one to first suggest to Kim about the three of us and Ronnie missed it completely. He thought I was only interested in Kim and Kim was only interested in me and that I was such a 'catch' he was planning on ducking out of the picture so we could be together." Shego softened her glare slightly. "He cares so much for your daughter he was prepared to not only leave her but his second family meaning you and his home and just disappear. It didn't matter to him that he would have been ripping out his own heart; he would have done it for Kim's happiness."

Ann Possible looked a little shocked. "You mean you were the one to seduce them?"

Shego gave a brief but humorless laugh. "That had been my plan but you remember when Ron and Kim told you about the mission? They mentioned that Dr. Drakken had said some harsh things to me when he found us at the Bueno Nacho? I had been a little annoyed by his actions and while comforting me later about it, Kim ended up kissing me and actually swept me off my feet." Shego glanced over at a very bright red blushing Kim who was staring at the table top to keep from meeting her mother's eyes. "Princess then was the one to suggest we go up and seduce Ron…. Together."

Ann Possible sighed and placed a hand to her forehead for a moment. "So I gather that none of you used protection?" She took her hand away and looked closely at her daughter. "Kimmie I'm surprised at you. You are the daughter of a doctor! You more than most know how easily it is to become pregnant. What if you are now? What of your education? The career you wanted? You might have endangered all of that in one night!"

Kim finally raised her eyes off of the table to stare at her mother directly. "I would be thrilled and more than proud to have Ron's child."

"Um, Mrs. Possible?" Ron quietly spoke up. "On one of Kim's missions I was exposed to something called Mystical Monkey Power and recently someone told me that I can't get a woman pregnant unless I willing choose to. The power kind of prevents it."

Kim turned to look in shock at Ron. "They are not my missions they are 'our' missions and in any case the fight with Monkey Fist where you became exposed to Mystical Monkey Power you were there by yourself. I wasn't even there. And why didn't you tell me that Mystical Monkey Power can keep you from getting a woman pregnant?"

"Aww Kim I found out about it that night, you and Shego didn't exactly give me a chance to tell you about it before…." Acutely aware that Kim's mom was staring at him again Ron shut up.

Shego gave a snort. "Wouldn't have to worry about getting me pregnant anyway, the meteor damaged me so that I can never have children." It had been said in Shego's normal bravado style of speech but Mrs. Possible detected the underlying bitterness and pain of a woman having the right to bear children stolen from her.

"Um, actually MM told me that Mystical Monkey Power can help heal you and get you pregnant if you wanted to." Ron said quietly.

Shego froze. "It can?" She finally asked, her voice almost breaking.

"While I'm happy that someone can give Shego the choice to be a mother if she wants it that is not important at the moment. I'm worried that you three haven't thought any of this through yet. You are being swept away by emotions and feelings! Ron getting his signals crossed and thinking that Shego and Kimmie wanted to be together and almost running off to Yamanouchi, you three engaging in sex with no concern on how your futures are going to turn out. Have you given any thought at all on how the world is going to look at this?" Mrs. Possible directed her attention at her daughter again. "Kimmie you know the press keeps an eye on you. While fortunately you don't have the Paparazzi following you everywhere, the news does keep tabs on what you do. If they get wind of this they'll ruin your reputation and Ron's. They'll have Ron cheating on you with Shego. Shego trying to break up team Possible by seducing Ron. And if they figure out that you are…. Bisexual." Ann managed to only stumble over the term slightly. "They'll crucify you in the media."

Once again Kim managed to meet her mother's gaze without flinching. "So I should give up the two people I love more than anything to make the news happy mom? I don't care what people say about me as long as I have Ron and Shego with me."

Ron was sitting at the table looking thoughtful.

"I think princess what your mom is trying to say is; she doesn't mind you and Ron together. It's me in the mix she resents. She doesn't like it that you 'slept' with a woman."

Ann Possible fixed Shego with a glare. "Don't even. I am an intelligent open minded woman. If my daughter wants to date another woman that is fine with me, I only want Kimmie's happiness and to hell with what the rest of the world thinks. I'm just worried that you three haven't thought through all the possible ramifications on where you are going."

"This is a nightmare." Kim muttered to herself. She looked up almost hopefully at Shego.

"Don't even think that Kimmie. We're not in one of Krueger's dreamscapes now. This unfortunately is reality."Shego stated. Looking back at Mrs. Possible she added. "Maybe I should leave and let you three figure some things out."

Ron surprised everyone by speaking up. "You can't. Remember? Dr. Director put us in charge of you until you decide if you are going to join Global Justice or not. You have to stay with us at all times till then."

"We'll just see about that." Ann said getting up and getting the phone. She pressed one number on the phone and a few moments later began talking to someone. "Betty? Ann here. What is this I hear about Shego having to be with my daughter and Ron at all times? Dr. Racle thinks it's best? And just what does Oracle say about the backlash of media attention when they find out?"

Mrs. Possible looked over from the phone at the three of them sitting at the table. "Yes. Yes they have 'taken' it to that stage! I'm quite sure of it. How? I walked in on them the morning after. Listen Betty this is my child we are talking about! Yes. Yes. No." Ann sighed as though frustrated and shot a look over at Ron at the table. "He says the Mystical Monkey Power keeps him from getting a woman pregnant until he makes a conscious decision to do so." Ann frowned. "I'm glad you think that is convenient! I remind you again we're talking about my daughter! Well you are right about that. Once she has made up her mind nothing can stop her. We'll talk about this later Betty but I'm not happy about this at all." Ann Possible hung up the phone and returned to the table.

"Well you are right about Global Justice wanting you three staying together." She looked across the table to meet Shego's smirk. Kim trying hard to not look pleased and a stony faced Ron. "What?" She asked him.

"I thought it was odd when you so casually mentioned Yamanouchi. How did you know about that school? I know Kim wouldn't have mentioned it to you. And you didn't question me about Mystical Monkey Power. But all of that could have been coincidences but why do you have Global Justice on speed dial on your phone and address the head of it by her first name? And not only know Dr. Racle but also the nickname he is called?" Ron asked her quietly.

Shego blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow at Kim's mom. "Yeah, I hadn't noticed but he's right!" Kim looked at shock at her mother. "Mom?"

Ann Possible stared at Ron for a few moments. "When did you start paying so much attention to what goes on around you?"

"When I fell in love with your daughter and Shego and realized I have so much to lose if I don't." Ron answered her.

Ann Possible sighed. "I used to work for Global Justice. I retired when I decided I wanted to have a family. I knew Betty when she was just an agent and before she became Dr. Director."

"You used to work for Global Justice?" Kim asked shocked. I mean sure she didn't know all that much about what her mother did before she was born but this wasn't a 'no big' it was majorly big.

Ann for the first time since Kim walked into the kitchen smiled at her. "What? You thought I was always a doctor? Global Justice recruited me when I was just a little younger than you are now. I worked for them till I graduated from college and married your father." Ann's smile grew as she decided to blow her daughter's mind a little bit more. "And what's more…. Your Nana used to work for them too. As long as there has been a Global Justice, there has been a Possible working with them."

"No wonder you became a do-gooder Princess. It runs in your genes." Shego said smirking at Kim.

Ann smile turned into a smirk of her own. "There has been more than a few Gohs that have worked for Global Justice in the past."

That shut up Shego instantly.

"So…" Ron said after a long pause. "What do we do now?"

Ann knew from the serious look on his face he wasn't talking about making something for dinner.

"Do you really love both of them Ron" She finally asked.

"With all my life." Ron answered without hesitation.

"Kim?" Ann asked looking at her daughter.

"I don't think I can survive without them mom." She also answered instantly.

Ann turned to look at Shego.

"Before you ask, yes I love both Ron and Kim. I would be willing to die for either one of them." Shego replied sincerely.

Ann sighed again. She always wanted her daughter to find true love but to make this work for her was going to be beyond tricky. She had almost hoped it was a spur of the moment hormonal thing. "Shego can stay in the guest room and Ron can come and go as he always has. I am not going to forbid you to see either of them." Ann gave a brief and humorless laugh. "As Betty reminded me it's not like you would listen to me anyway." She looked at each one of them seriously for a moment. "All I ask is that you do not have sex again under this roof. I can't control what you do on missions but not in this house please! If my husband ever found out, he would have Ron stuffed into a nose cone of a rocket and shot into space and then hire someone to kidnap and transport Shego to a country where she is still wanted by the police and thrown into prison there."

"He might find either of those tasks a little difficult to do." Shego stated with a hint of warning in her voice. She instantly relaxed and leaned back against the seat when she felt Kim under the table interlace her fingers with hers.

"I'll fix us something eat now." Ron said leaping to his feet not only to break the tense atmosphere in the room but also to distract Mrs. Possible from watching Kim and Shego too closely.

After one of Ron's wonderful meals, Ann Possible watched the three young people in front of her at the table. It was obvious that they cared for each other deeply and Ann was positive if she hadn't been in the room they would have had their hands all over each other. As it was Kim continued to hold Shego's hand under the table. If the two young women thought they were fooling Ann into thinking they weren't, they were sorely mistaken.

"That was a wonderful meal as usual Ron. I should get you to cook more often." Ann said smiling at Ron. "I'll do the dishes since you cooked." She paused and then looked over at Shego. "Me and Shego that is."

"Whoa! Wait! Dishes?" Shego said with obvious distaste.

Ann with a raised eyebrow was just about to point out that if Shego was going to stay in her house she would be expected to do her share of the household chores but was stopped when the familiar sounds of the Kimmunicator went off. Kim checked her pockets but came up empty and glanced over at Ron.

"I've got it." Shego said and pulled the device out of a pocket. "Saved by the nerdling." Shego said under her breath.

"What is it…? Wade." Shego said with a faint smirk.

Wade appeared on the small screen but seemed overly nervous for some reason. He didn't acknowledge that Shego had said his real name instead of some insulting nickname like usual and barely glanced at her but kept looking around his computer room as if fearing someone was around.

"Is it about Nancy? Has Krueger escaped?" Ron asked fearfully.

That got Wade's attention enough to look at them directly. "No. No it's not that. Nancy is fine and as far as I can tell Krueger is still locked away. It's just…" Wade paused as he suddenly ducked his head down and peered under his computer desk. Shego, Kim and Ron shared a confused look.

"It's just that I've got a message for you guys from Yamanouchi."

"I didn't know they had computers there?" Kim asked turning to ask Ron.

"It wasn't an email Kim. I mean I found a note on my computer keyboard." Wade said holding up a stiff piece of paper. Kim could see that it was made of rice paper from the patterns on its surface.

"I didn't think you ever left your computer Nerdling." Shego said.

"I don't. That is what has me freaked out." Wade said peering around his room once more.

"What does the message for Ron have to say?" Kim asked intrigued.

"Well actually it is for all three of you." Wade replied and holding up the paper he read it out loud to them. "The school of Yamanouchi would like to extend a request for Ron Stoppable-sama, Kim Possible-sama and Shego-sama to travel to the school as soon as is convenient for them. We await your arrival with the greatest of anticipation." Wade lowered the sheet of paper and looked at them through the Kimmunicator. "What do you make of that?" He asked.

"How do they even know I'm with you?" Shego asked looking over at Ron. "Wait. Yamanouchi? Japan? This is part of what you were going to tell me later about Mystical Monkey Power and where you learned to fight so well isn't it?"

Ron nodded his head. "But I guess instead of telling I am going to get to show you."

"Not till after your school is out for the summer though. You and Kim can't let your grades suffer." Mrs. Possible said reminding them that she was still in the kitchen and heard everything. "Now you can go and get Shego settled into the guest room. Just remember what I said about the no sex rule in this house!"

As the three young people left the kitchen Ann Possible went to the phone and pressed the single button she had used earlier to contact Global Justice. Dr. Director had tried to get her to take one of the newer communications devices that were modeled after Kim's Kimmunicator but she had passed on it. She had been afraid that Kim might have seen it and picked up thinking it was hers, so she relied on the speed dial. Something she would have to rethink since Ron had noticed. It wouldn't do for her husband or one of the twins to accidently press the right number and suddenly find themselves connected to a top secret police agency.

"It's me again Betty. No, I'm not going to argue about that any more. What is done is done. And I truly believe that Kim, Ron and Shego are in love and it is not a passing fancy. No I wanted to call to tell you that Wade contacted them a short time ago, seems that he found a letter in his computer room from a certain school in Japan that wants to meet with not just Ron this time but also Kim and Shego."

Ann Possible held the phone away from her ear as a series of obscenities came from the phone. Waiting a moment to see if Dr. Director Betty had run out of colorful terms to use she then put the phone back to her ear and spoke again. "Yeah I figured that would be your reaction. Why do you think they want to see Kim and Shego this time as well as Ron?"

Ann with a roll of her eyes held the phone away from her as more obscenities streamed from the phone.

"Done now?" She finally asked into the phone. She listened for a moment. "The letter said they awaited on Kim, Ron and Shego's convenience so I talked them into waiting till school was out this year before going." Ann listened for a moment longer. "You know if we don't let them go, Yamanouchi will just send someone here." Ann gave an unlady like snort Shego would have been proud of as she listened to Betty. "They got into Wade's computer room to leave the letter. Do you really think you can keep them away from Kim, Ron and Shego? If they just want to talk it is better to let them do it and get it over with. If you start with the foul language again I'm hanging up!" She said as it seemed that Dr. Director was going to start in again on what she thought of the ninja school. "Okay. Okay. Yes I understand. Goodbye Betty." Ann hung up the phone and took a deep breath.

"Well one thing for sure, life is about to get more interesting." Ann said to the empty room.

The End.


End file.
